Blue Eyes
by CloudyRaven
Summary: It's been five years since Ezra left without a word, but the war continues to wage on. The Ghost crew faces a mission on Tatoonie with one question: who is this little girl with familiar eyes?
1. Chapter 1

_Karabast!_

"Spectre Four to Spectre One; are you sure this is the right place?" Zeb softly grumbled into his comm. "'Cause I don't see any crates being unloaded."

He did not know which would put him to sleep more: watching the bucket heads patrol the loading dock or waiting for the signal. At this point, the lasat would rather be sitting at the table in the common room playing Sabacc on the Ghost. If he was lucky this time, maybe he would actually win a bet against Kanan for once; Hera still can't believe they bet Chopper. It was one way that kept his mind off things these days; everyone did. It worked most of time, anyway. Speaking of their little artist, where was she?

"Vizago's Intel says the Empire has a shipment arriving here," Kanan's voice crackled over the microphone. "It sounds creditable so far. How are things on your end?"

He scoffed in disgust. The sight of those two bucket heads had him itching to crack their helmets together.

"Still the same," he leaned deeper into the shadows of the large crates. "All we're doing is standing around! Can I just rough up 'em just a little?"

The lasat could imagine their leader rolling his eyes. "The objective is to pick up those crates without drawing attention to ourselves. Does Spectre Five have that distraction ready?"

Zeb looked around expecting Sabine to appear out of nowhere. She said something about planting a few bombs to keep the Imperials busy once they snatched the crate of supplies. The nearest speeders was in front of them.

Sabine's voice crackled over the comm to his relief. "This is Spectre Five; all the bombs have been activated. Once they arrive, the distraction will begin."

"Be ready to move," says Kanan.

The ship landed on time as planned. As storm troopers unloaded the green crates, the ground shook with explosions. Three bucket heads were running past the two guards towards the runway when he jumped out in front of them.

"Halt!" one of them yelled.

Zeb's smile grew wider. "Really? That's all ya got?"

The man lay on unconscious at his feet seconds later. He reached for his bo-staff to deflect the blasts that were fired at him. It would have been impossible to board their rides if Kanan had not shown up to stun the guards.

"I thought I said not to draw attention to ourselves."

"You know I can't resist messing with them," the lasat grinned. "Where were you? Being one with the Force?"

"Waiting for the fireworks to begin," the jedi countered. "Where is Spectre Five?"

"She'll meet up with us soon enough."

Kanan sped off with Zeb close behind. The crew very rarely used information from black market dealers these days. The bounties they each had on their heads was probably enough to set the 'lucky' person for life. Ever since they joined the Rebellion, it seems there was always someone ready to turn to them in. Then again, it was not that surprising.

Sabine caught up with them on her own speeder with a pack of storm troopers and swerved left to avoid the on-coming blasts from behind. She returned fired before commenting, "Looks like the Imperials upgraded security after our last mission here."

Kanan's chest tightened as he remembered the failed mission. The Intel they were looking for was not here. Fulcrum told them a cell from Tatoonie seen storm troopers take a boy matching his missing Padawan's description into custody and tailed it to this base not long ago. Someone from the group believed he had a brush with the Dark Side but they were unable to locate him. The Empire, for some reason, was having supplies delivered to TIE bases on this planet. Even now, none of them believed Ezra would help the Imperials.

Honestly, this whole mission confused the jedi. There was something about this supply run that made him uneasy. It should have been clear by now why the Force warned him earlier today, but that gut feeling that something else will go wrong nagged at him.

Kanan shook his head. _Now is not the time. Focus on the mission!_

"Did you take care of them?" asked Zeb.

"Enough to give us time to get to the Ghost and escape," she said.

"That doesn't help," he grumbled.

"At least you brought us some time," Kanan said and activated his comm. "Spectre Two, be ready to take off when we get there."

"Copy that," Hera responded. "Do you have the supplies?"

Another explosion went off at the base behind them.

"We do," assured Kanan.

"What's going on?" The pilot demanded.

"I blew up a few extra crates," Sabine boasted.

Zeb chuckled. "Another distraction?"

"You could say that."

The Ghost had its ramp open when it came into view. They slowed down and unhooked the hover platform. It was only when they finished loading the last box did Sabine turn around at the sound engines in the distance.

"We need to go! Fast!"

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: Rebels.


	2. Chapter 2

The TIE fighters grew closer as the ramp sealed shut. It was hard to tell how many were chasing them this time. The supply run may have been successful, but they blew their low profile. The crew may be able to take on the Empire with the fleet backing up them up, but that did not make being short one member hurt any less. The last squadron that tailed them almost literally turned the ship into a ghost escaping the same base eight weeks ago.

Hera's voice came over the intercom system. "Zeb, Sabine, man the nose guns!"

"Got it!" Zeb climbed up the ladder followed by Sabine.

With the Ghost in the air, Kanan headed to the cockpit where Hera was gunning the engine. Like the rest of the crew, she understood what the risks were if they decided to take on this mission. There were nights when he found her running diagnostics after everyone went to bed or sitting in the pilot's seat for hours in silence, crying. When Ezra disappeared, he left a large gap that could not be filled.

"Are the supplies alright?" She asked as he sat in the co-pilot's seat.

"They are," Kanan reassured her.

"Good because I don't think we'll be able to stay on this planet for long."

"Well, infiltrating the base was not easy."

Hera tilted the ship to the right, avoiding in-coming TIES. Their only hope was to lose them somehow, but that seemed unlikely seeing they were on a desert planet. The Phantom might be small enough to fly through the narrow canyons here; the Ghost, however, was too big to take cover. Their Tatoonie contact them told it was not going to be easy to keep an low profile considering this was a safe haven for criminals.

"You got that right," the twi'lek agreed. "This has to be the third time we had this many TIE fighters on our tails!"

She shot one down that was trying to cut them off and turned left. The haul of the ship jolted as Chopper appeared at the door.

"Chopper, damage report!" the pilot snapped.

He waved his mechanical arms wildly, whirring.

"Well, go check the engines!"

The stubborn droid grumbled something, which made Kanan glare at the robot. "Chopper!"

The pilot spoke into comm. "Spectres Five and Four, are you alright?"

"How do you think we are doing?" Sabine dryly remarked.

The jedi returned his attention back to the situation when Chopper left the cockpit. He steadied himself in his seat as another violent jolt shook the Ghost. A plan was forming in his mind, but would this work? The last time they tried to this tactic it nearly backfired on them. Then, the mission objective was to smuggle an informant with information about the Empire's next move from Lothal to a moon called Iego.

"Hera, you think you can circle back east and try to lose them?" Kanan looked over at her.

"I might," the pilot nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

"We passed a few cliffs back there," he explained. "If we can turn around, maybe we can escape without further damage."

"Remember what almost happened the last time we tried that?" Sabine reminded him.

"She has a point, Love," Hera argeed. "If we try that again, I don't think the Ghost will be able to take much more of this."

Kanan took a deep breath. "Well, does anyone else have an ideas?"

"Yes," answered Zeb. "We shoot 'em down!"

"Out of the question!" He insisted. The longer they kept this up, the more likely it would call for another supply run for fuel after crashing. That decided Hera's decision as they both heard a light and heavy footsteps running towards the cockpit.

"Hold on!" Hera leaned forward over the controls to pick up speed. The ship shuddered under the strain, making her stomach lurch. Was it becoming too much for the Ghost already? One shot and they were done for!

Both of the TIES scattered in separate directions. Their escape route was wide open. The pilot scanned the cliff's shadows for openings big enough for the ship, shaking her head. Where were they going to land around here?

"I don't see anywhere where big enough to land the ship!" she told them.

"How about over there?" Kanan pointed out an arched passage way to their right.

"That'll work!" Hera said. "I'll try to set it down gently, but prepare for a crash landing."

The crew all held their breathes as the Ghost roughly landed. The sound of the two aircraft passing overhead faded to their relief, leaving an tense silence. They were lucky Kanan's plan worked out this time.

Kanan spoke up after they all sighed in relief. "That's was close. Is everyone alright?"

* * *

I hope you enjoyed reading chapter two. What will happen to the crew now?

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels.


	3. Chapter 3

Kanan spoke up after they all sighed in relief. "That's was close. Is everyone alright?"

"By 'alright,' you mean stranded?" Sabine quipped, joining them. She took off her helmet walking into the cockpit. "Then yes, we're all fine!"

Ever since they came to this planet, the young woman has been snippy. Mandalore was more populated than Tatoonie, but Hera thought it was the system's two suns that were bothering her. Temperatures on this planet were known to reach a hundred and twenty degrees here. They all knew if Chopper was making efforts to avoid her, she was bound explode at some point. In fact, when it came to anything that involved finding Ezra, Sabine threw herself into her work to point of obsession. It scared her and Kanan.

The pilot spun around to look at them. "What about Zeb and Chopper?"

Zeb walked through the door with a scowl directed at Chopper. He had electric burns on his forearms. "I'm fine. A few bruises we won't kill me."

"Are there any exposed wires on the ship?" Hera asked worriedly.

"No," he said. "While you were turning around, I accidentally bumped into Chopper."

Chopper whirred defensively and brought out his taser.

The lasat growled at the droid. "Try it, you bucket of -"

"Don't start!" the twi'lek placed a hand on her hip. "We're lucky the ship didn't crash into the cliff face. Settle this out in the hall!"

"But -" Zeb began.

"No buts!"

"Fine," he grumbled.

Kanan shared a strained smile with Hera. This was how they dealt with the large gap left behind by Ezra's departure. Familiar fights he would have loved to see, all the teasing and missions. He wished this was a nightmare he could wake up from and find him sleeping in the bunk above Zeb, but that empty bed told the truth. Lately, it feels like the Force was trying to slow them down by adding more problems to the growing list they already had.

He knew Sabine and Zeb also remembered what happened on the day the boy vanished. Both of them grew quiet.

The jedi stood up. "Let's get some rest."

"No need to tell me twice."

Zeb and Chopper filed out. They started fighting again out in the hallway, as expected, but there was nothing none of them could do about that. Sabine leaned against the door way, arms crossed.

"What now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What if the Imperials find us here?" Sabine pushed off the wall in frustration, sounding hopeless. "We don't how long we'll be stuck on this dust bowl."

The pilot could not stand seeing the young woman this upset. She understood the reason why she was acting like this. The failed Intel mission left them all drained of any hope of finding their missing family member.

"Let's hope something else keeps their attention."

"That's your answer?!" Sabine exploded. "I'm pretty sure if they could capture Ezra and hide it, then the Empire can track us down."

Hera looked ready to cry. The thought of Ezra being tortured, or worse, broke her heart. Thankfully, Kanan stepped in.

"We'll find him, don't worry," promised Kanan.

"It's been five years,"continued Sabine. "What makes you think we'll find him now?"

"Sabine, we'll keep searching for Ezra no matter how long it takes," Hera reassured. "Please don't lose hope in that."

Sabine's amber eyes begged them for some answer. Anything that would explain why Ezra was not here with them. It was the same pain that kept them each of them up all night trying to understand what went wrong.

"I just don't understand why he would leave us without saying anything," she admitted.

Hera hugged the young woman. "We'll find him. Me and Kanan promise."

She stepped back. They both watched Sabine walk out with her helmet under her arm wondering the same thing. Her reaction reminded them that their crew was broken with the boy not there to liven things up on the ship. Like their code names, Ezra was an spectre until a few weeks ago when Fulcrum reported that he was sighted on Tatoonie.

Hera could tell from one look at Kanan's somber expression that Ezra's disappearance has effected him more than anyone else on board. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I miss him, too."

"I still don't understand why he would leave us like that," he whispered brokenly. "Why would the Empire look for him now?"

"Kanan, you know Ezra never would turn to the Dark Side."

The jedi's green eyes meet Hera's own. They did not need words at this point in their relationship to know what the other was saying. They just knew.

"We'll head to the nearest town and see if we can get parts in the morning."

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet. I still have to run diagnostics on the ship," Hera smiled, pecking his right cheek. "Get some rest, Love. You're going to need it tomorrow."

Kanan kissed her on the lips before letting her sit in the pilot's seat. "Don't stay up too late."

"It's going to take awhile so that's unlikely. If we're going to get off this planet, then we need to know what type of damage the Ghost has."

The door closed behind her as she tried to calm down. They all knew that the Empire could have shipped Ezra off to another planet after finding out he was taken into custody. Mustafar was the first planet to come to mind, but with little Intel they decided to hold off on returning. Fulcrum was insisting they move on to their horror.

Hera let her tears dotted the control panel as she checked the systems. The shield generator was down and one of the engines were severely damaged. So she was right after all. The pilot had no idea how they survived so far.

All she could think of was the boy they discovered on Lothal. _Where are you?_

"Hera, you alright?"

It was Kanan. He was supposed to be asleep.

The pilot wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks and faced him. The next thing she remembers was soaking his shirt while having her back rubbed. It was hard to tell how many fell that night before the diagnostics finished.

How is the story so far? Is it going too fast or too slow?

This is for anyone who are fans of Kanan and Hera.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels.


	4. Chapter 4

Kanan helped Hera finish the diagnostics that night. They barely had enough credits for the parts needed to repair the engine after seeing the final results. If the shield generator was not damaged, then that was all they had to worry about. Surprisingly, the fuel line was intact after all the Ghost went through. This made resting easier for both of them, though it bothered the pilot that they were stranded on what Sabine called an "dust bowl." But after last night's break down, getting sleep was difficult.

She sipped her caf as she went over the results again at the table. Hopefully, caffeine would keep her from falling asleep while repairing the generator.

"How many cups you have had now?" Kanan asked, sitting beside her.

"Three," she smiled tiredly. "Do you want some?"

"I just finished one. Why don't you let Zeb and Chopper take care of repairs?" he suggested.

Hera knew she had bags under her eyes. She saw her reflection in the mirror getting ready this morning, but refused to let anything get in the way of fixing the ship. It was too risky to stay in one place for a long period of time.

"I may be exhausted but getting the ship back in the air is more important," the pilot said. "Besides, you need Zeb and Sabine in Anchorhead. Chopper will help out while you're gone."

The jedi was about to disagree when Zeb, Sabine and Chopper walked in. Whatever it was, it would have to wait.

"What do you need to talk to us about?" Zeb asked.

Hera set her mug down, sighing. "It looks like were going to be grounded for a few days," she explained. "During the chase, one of the Ghost's engines and shield generator took severe damage. We don't have the parts to fix it, but that doesn't mean we're out of luck yet."

The lasat knew this was a good time to have some bucket heads around. Like their explosive expert, he wanted off this planet just to escape the heat. "Hera, we're out in the middle of nowhere. Where do you expect to find a town on an planet like this?"

"I checked the holonet. The nearest city is Anchorhead, five miles to the west." she told them, "It supposedly has a repair shop with what we need."

"How are going to get there?" Sabine spoke up. "It would take hours to get there on our speeders in this heat."

Kanan stood up, stretching. "We're taking the Phantom. Be ready to leave in the a few minutes."

He went to prep the shuttle as both of them glanced at him before turning to the twi'lek worriedly. They knew both Hera and Kanan often stayed up late. So much so that they made it a point of stealing coffee on their supply runs. Her red eyes told them how she spent last night.

"You should start getting ready to leave," The pilot got to her feet slowly, leaving her coffee untouched. "Come on, Chop. You're with me."

"Hera, is everything alright?" the Mandalorian slowly asked. This is the first time where the young woman ever saw her mother figure's eyes this red.

"I'm fine, Sabine," she insisted gently. "Now go before Kanan starts wondering if you've went back to bed."

The twi'lek watched the door close behind them and went out into the hallway. Chopper was quietly trailing behind her to the cockpit, which was strange. The droid always had something to say.

Kanan's voice crackled over the built-in mic a few minutes later. "Spectre Two, we're ready to take off."

"Be careful out there."

"We always are" Kanan said. "Are you sure you can handle Chopper?"

"I can, Love," she chuckled. "It is not me you have to worry about."

"I'll keep him from doing anything stupid for ya," volunteered Zeb.

The lasat would keep his promise, but knowing Kanan he would do something that forced him to break it.

Just imagine how this would look like if the animators made this into a episode.

Some of you may also be wondering how old the crew is at this point. Even with the help of Wookiepedia, most of these are just guesses. So please understand if I do not have their correct ages posted.

Kanan - 38

Hera - 34

Zeb - 44

Sabine -21

Ezra - 20

Midnight Luna: Yes, this story takes place fives years in the future. In this story, the war against the Empire is still being fought.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels.


	5. Chapter 5

Sabine was still thinking about Hera's red eyes as she went to her cabin to gear up. It was hard to believe that he has been gone for five years without any sign of him anywhere in the galaxy. If a black hole swallowed him up over the last few years, then it would not surprise her to hear this from Fulcrum or discover this herself. Just thinking about it now made the dull ache more present. She didn't know how to describe it.

She quickly stocked up on two different types of bombs in case the Imperials were there. They were everywhere lately. It was strange that they were carrying out the same missions and supply runs yet were no closer to finding Ezra. To be honest, she never understood how the kid survived living on Lothal's on streets for eight years all by himself. With enough C4 to take out six TIES, the young woman went to the air lock. Kanan sat at the controls, preparing to detach from the Ghost.

"Took you long enough," Zeb muttered.

She shrugged. "You never know when we'll need a distraction."

"Detaching the Phantom now," Hera told them over the comm.

The small ship rocked before separating from the Ghost and flying west over the desert. A few settlements dotted the land but, other than these farms, there was nothing that told the three that life existed on this planet. Well, on the surface, anyway. There were even fewer people outside, who were mostly repairing their water systems ten or more yards away.

"I wonder how these people survive out here," complained Sabine, wiping her forehead. "Don't they pass out from heat stroke?"

Even in the ship, it felt like they were under the two suns. If this were any other market visit, it might have been understandable why they had make a trip this far out but this was crazy! What were they thinking when they agreed to raid that TIE base?

Kanan carefully piloted the Phantom. The charted flight should bring them directly to Anchorhead. "Some of them were raised on this planet, so I am not surprised to see farmers out here in the fields at this time of day."

"It's too early in the morning to be this hot," added Zeb.

"Well, they do have two suns in this system." Sabine told him, "Nothing we can do about it."

The jedi was beginning to wonder if it was heat or the fact they were stranded out in the middle of nowhere that riled up both of his crew members. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he decided that both of those reasons were the cause.

"The quicker we get this done without complaining, the faster we'll return to the Ghost," Kanan said.

Usually, he said this to Ezra and Zeb. Sabine would normally take things as they came, but he and Hera knew she would never survive on Tatoonie if someone told her to live out in the middle of nowhere. No one messed with her when she was having a bad day to minimize the chances of having the Ghost accidentally being blown up.

"Are we any closer to this city?" Zeb asked.

Sighing, Kanan wondered if they would survive to the flight to Anchorhead.

"We just detached from the ship, Zeb." he sighed, "We should be there in an hour, which gives us time to look at the shopping list."

"Great." Zeb the small piece of paper from his pocket. His eyes slightly widened just reading it. "Karablast! You do realize we don't have enough credits for all this stuff?"

The jedi kept his eyes forward. "We can try."

"What does Hera want us to pick up?" Sabine asked.

Zeb handed her the list. She looked at the jedi for an answer.

"Kanan, we can barely afford one Jogan. What makes you think we can buy the parts on this list?"

Kanan thought training Ezra gave him an headache but that theory was just proven wrong. It's not that he did not want to see his Padawan again. The Force knew he did! The others had ways of getting on his nerves if they tried hard enough, like Zeb for example.

"Don't you want to get off this planet?"

"Of course, we do!"answered Sabine. "When were you and Hera going to tell us that we were almost broke?"

"We found out last night after going over diagnostics."

The city sprawled out in front of them the closer they got. Kanan landed outside Anchorhead where he hoped the shuttle would go unnoticed among the other ships that were docked nearby. He knew Zeb and Sabine figured out why Hera had such red eyes this morning, but were clearly afraid to ask how bad it was this time. It occurred to him that maybe each of them overheard her sobbing at some point in the last few years.

"What's the name of the repair shop again?" Zeb asked.

Kanan mentally smacked himself. The jedi was too busy trying to figure out where they could find parts that it never occured to him that he never thought to get the name. Between finding intel for the Rebellion and jedi training, the crew very rarely relaxed.

"I didn't say," he said. "Keep an eye out for 'Old Jho's Repair Shop.' Remember there's a hunting lodge here, also; so stick together."

The harsh sun beat down on the trio as they walked out, breathing in the fresh air. The haul was starting to smell from all their sweating.

"On it, boss."

A few people avoided eye contact with them on the way to the market place. They looked more like bounty hunters than fugitives on the run, which was fine with them. As long as the Empire didn't catch word that they were grounded, everything would alright.

"What are they looking at?" Zeb whispered.

"They think we're bounty hunters," Sabine said. "It's normal to see them walking around a place like this since criminals choose to hide out here."

"It's the best cover story we have," decided Kanan.

They stop at a street corner to go over the day's plan. Hopefully, it would stay a simple shopping trip. The city may not be crawling with storm troopers, but no one knew when one would appear.

The lasat took one glance at the line of stores. "I should have known the repair shop was around here."

"We're here to ask for directions," the jedi said. "Zeb, go with Sabine. Try not to scare whoever you talk to."

"He'll try," promised Sabine.

"Good," nodded Kanan. "Contact me when you have them."

Their leader walked over to a vendor selling, of all things, Jogans. The man glared at them as they went in the opposite direction. It turns out that the people on this planet were about as secretive as Ezra was. No matter how hard they tried, Zeb and Sabine were told by vendors and customers alike that they were busy.

"Don't these people remind you of the kid?" the Lasat grumbled. "Can't imagine Ezra being caught here, let alone living on this dust bowl!"

Sabine resisted the urge to pull off her helmet so she look him in the eyes. She could not reveal her face for the Imperials but, more importantly, it hid the pain on it. It took a while for her to answer.

"You have a point. After all, we did find out that Empire Day was his birthday." she admitted, "If he is here, I doubt the kid would survive these temperatures."

"True," Zeb chuckled. "He would pass out from heat stroke traveling a mile on this planet!"

The last time the crew landed in Anchorhead was to gather extra intel on Ezra's whereabouts. That, and the Empire's operations in this system. There wasn't much to go on expect that a man with a similar description often brought and sold information on the black market. Some of his customers say they often see a little girl sitting on a crate behind him. This bit still threw them off. Even now, none of them had no idea if it was true.

The lasat stared at her. "You miss him that much?"

"Don't you?!" she countered.

"Not that much. He -" Zeb hesitated and sighed. "Okay, maybe a little. Can this wait 'til later?"

Ignoring the stares they got, the pair walked up to a purple twi'lek who was browsing what they thought were hacking devices. His lavender striped lekku nearly slapped the lasat's face as the man spun around, warily eying them.

"What do bounty hunters want with me?" the customer demanded.

"We're looking for a repair shop," Sabine said. "Do you happen know where one is?"

"A rebel cell damaged your ship, I see." the man smirked, "You'll eventually find Old Jho's."

Zeb snarled. "Why you -"

Sabine roughly elbowed the lasat before he could grab the collar of the twi'lek's white shirt. The lasat softly growled and stepped back. They were expecting an storm trooper to approach but none came.

The twi'lek grinned. "It's about time I take my leave."

Before they knew it, the guy paid the vendor for one of the devices and left with his purchase. It was official. Today was not their day. Sabine wished Zeb would calm down once in a while; there were times when his temper got them into trouble.

The lasat watched the man retreat. _Lucky._

"You almost blew our cover," she snapped once they were out of earshot.

"Well, the guy wouldn't answer our question."

Kanan's voice crackled over Zeb's commlink. "Spectre Four, Spectre Five, did you get directions?"

"Well, about that..." the lasat tried to order his thoughts. Kanan would not be happy to hear he tried to rough up a stranger at the market.

Sabine rolled her eyes. She refused to return to the ship without the parts they needed. Unless all of them wanted to become this sector's rebel cell, the Mandalorian knew Hera or Chopper would not be happy about taking up residence here.

"What Zeb means to say is no." she interrupted, "We tried to, but everyone around here refuses to cooperate! I hope you had better luck."

"Actually, the vendor told me where it was." he sounded relieved, "Meet at the corner where we split up."

After the connection cut, they retracing their steps back down the block. Kanan was there waiting for them when they walked up. His smile said that he managed to sweet talk someone into giving him the directions.

"So, what are you going to tell the big guy?" Sabine whispered to Zeb.

"Nothin' he doesn't need to find out."

"If you say so," She smiled underneath her helmet. "Don't blame me when he finds out."

The jedi glanced back at them. "What are you two whispering about? Did something happen?"

Sabine could not wait to see how Kanan would react to Zeb's latest stunt. The 'muscle' looked nervous from her point of view.

"Not at all," the artist said. "It's just that the people here can't stand outsiders here."

Kanan knew something was going on. The problem was if he wanted to know or not. Shaking his head, the jedi walked into repair shop. It did not take long to find and pay for all the parts they needed. Just as they were leaving, a small head peek out around the corner of the droid isle. For a minute, he thought he was having an heart attack. Where had he seen eyes look that terrified and cautious before?

He rubbed his forehead. _It's just an mirage. That has to be it!_

When he looked back up, Kanan saw the little girl was gone. He hoped it was just his imagination or else the image of the child's blue eyes would haunt him. Another pair were doing that already.

"What is it now?" Zeb followed his gaze and chuckled. "So you're planning on replacing Chopper now, are you?"

"Does Hera know about this?" Sabine joined in. "I doubt she would agree."

Kanan blinked. "Why would we replace Chopper?"

"Because he's a bucket of bolts," Zeb pointed out.

"He's a member of the crew," Kanan reminded the lasat.

The lasat growled in frustration at that answer. "You know you want to."

A girl's terrified squeak had all three of them looking back towards the droid isle. If his hands weren't full, Zeb would have chased the kid to calm her down. But even then she was quick for someone so young.

* * *

First of all, I would never replace Chopper. He is the 'youngest child' out of four, after all. Besides, we all know from the Sabacc incident that Hera would kick whoever tried off the ship for the night. While you wait for the next chapter, here is a question to think about: why do you think the little girl ran away so quickly?

Once again, thank you to everyone who has been reviewing this story. I hope things will pick up after this. Well, that is if Chopper doesn't kill me first.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels.


	6. Chapter 6

Kanan was trying to figure out if his imagination was acting up again as tiny foot falls hit the floor. He could not sense his Padawan anywhere nearby or in the shop, but this girl certainly reminded the jedi of him. The way the kid took off made him remember the first time they met Ezra on Lothal.

 _That's impossible. The Empire captured Ezra weeks ago!_

This thought terrified him as much as the girl was of Zeb. She could have overheard them talking and caught the lasat growling, which would scare any small child wondering around an store by herself. There was no choice but see if that was case. Besides, just thinking about the criminals that probably come here for the same reason made him uneasy.

"I'll go look for her. She can't be that hard to find in a shop this small," he told Sabine and Zeb. "Get the gear back to the Phantom; I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Her parents are probably around here somewhere looking for her," Sabine said.

"That still does not mean we can just leave her by herself."

Zeb shifted the heavy crate in his arms. He knew his friend thought he has officially lost his mind, but the lasat has done that before on many other occasions. "Why does it matter if one kid is lost in a small shop?"

"Because Zeb I just want to be sure she's here with someone," Kanan glared. "Besides, it isn't my fault she was scared off."

The lasat froze and returned the glare. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the kid did hear you growl when she peeked around that corner," he said.

"Alright, we'll get these to the Phantom." Zeb walked out with Sabine as he made a mental note to apologize to him later. Even if its on an planet known for hiding fugitives, it didn't mean that children grew up here.

The droid isle was empty expect for the models that lined the right wall. The older models looked similar to Chopper's design, but that thought was out of the question. He was part of the family, after all. Plus, if Hera found out that they got rid of him it would end up with someone stranded on whatever planet they were on at time. The new models, however, were not the Imperials' protocol but it was close enough.

A small whimper came from the end of the unit line. She was trying to hide herself behind a newer model, but failed despite her small size. The girl's raven bangs shaded her eyes as she curled up into a tight ball. If the child had hopes of escaping his sight, then she was starting to figure out her plan failed. He guessed she was three at most.

Kanan knelt down to her eye level, giving her enough room. He hoped he didn't mess this up. The jedi admitted that he did not know how this kid would react to him.

"Hey, what you are doing back here?"

She slowly looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Daddy?"

His heart squeezed as the little girl waited for an answer. Sabine was probably right to say this child wandered from her parents' sides. He was surprised no one was searching for her or talking to the manager. They should be looking for her! Were they that reckless?

"So you wandered away from your parents?"

The kid studied him with the same caution she used while eavesdropping on them. Apparently after deciding he was trustworthy she shook her head.

The jedi took a deep breath when panic and anger began to take over. This girl must have come in with someone unless she was an orphan. Alright, now he really need Hera's help! The Force must have heard his plea because he heard footsteps coming from the backroom.

"Amira?" A man's voice carried throughout the store.

The girl uncurled her body and slipped through the small space between the machine and wall.

 _So that is her name._ It was better than calling her 'kid.'

"Let's get you to your dad."

Amira grabbed his hand as they head towards the front of the store. Kanan did not know what her parents were thinking, but it was a relief to know they taught the girl the dangers of talking to strangers.

The man's grey eyes widened with slight worry before looking up at him. His stare was more guarded than the girl and Zeb's combined. The mechanic wiped his oil stained gloves on his dark brown pants waiting for an answer. He looked sly enough to take on the lasat himself in hand to hand combat. Kanan prepared to reach for his blaster and sprint out with the girl if this stranger lied about who he was.

The jedi may not be her father, but it would make going back to the Phantom easier. Maybe Zeb was right to think he was crazy.

Amira walked over to the stranger, shyly grinning. He felt a mixture of loss and relief when it was clear she trusted him. "Are you her father?"

The tan employee shook his head after a minute. Whether it was from the constant heat wave or being overworked, he could sense the gears in his head turning watching this man study him. The look in his eyes told him he was not afford to use his skills as an mechanic on organic beings if need be.

"I'm just watching her until her parents get back," he said. "Thanks for finding her for me; she tends to disappear during business hours around here."

Kanan managed to keep his excitement in check as he processed this. Could this guy know where Ezra was taken?

"No problem," he said. "My friend accidentally scared her when he growled."

Amira looked around the empty store as if she were expecting Zeb to jump out at her. She barely hid the panic on her small face. The man picked her up as if she would dart off on him again. They walked out with the girl trying to wriggle out of his grasp but the man refused to put her down.

Kanan looked up to see the skyline turning shades of dark purples, reds and pinks as Tatoonie's two suns settled over the docking bays. A few people were still on the streets, hiding in the growing shadows. They were most likely criminals waiting to mug anyone crazy enough to walk around at night. He knew Hera would order Zeb and Sabine to look for him if she has not already.

 _Well, maybe I am crazy._

"You mean the Lasat you and that girl were talking to earlier?" the employee asked.

"Yeah, sorry about." The leader sighed, "Who are you?"

"Caden," the man nodded warily. "Why would the Empire hire such a soft bounty hunter to track down a criminal?"

"We're not looking for a fugitive," he said. "Have you seen a tan skinned teen with dark hair?"

Caden tightened his grip on the now sleeping girl in his arms. "Do you mind if you tell me who you are?"

The jedi knew he was taking a risk by out right telling this stranger his name. But if they wanted any chance of finding Ezra, they needed this information.

"Kanan," he told Caden, suppressing an sigh. "The reason why I'm asking you this is because he's very important. We think the Empire captured him."

The silence seemed to stretch out for light years as the mechanic studied him closely. No, eons seemed to pass before he got an answer.

"You know the Empire either takes their captives as bargaining chips or prisoners, right?" Caden frowned. "I would redirect you to the swoop office, but tourists like yourselves would not get far with the Hutt there."

Kanan figured this conversation would turn out like this. Even if he was able to convince Hera to trust a Hutt to give them information, there was no telling whether this mechanic worked for him. He spent the years following the fall of the Order's destruction taking on odd jobs his master would have not approved. Some of those odd jobs would have alarmed Masters Yoda and Kenobi for what he had to do to survive. Any kid in that situtation would have trouble coping with what they lost, especially the girl in front of him.

"It's still worth a try," the jedi said. "My crew has at least four days of repairs, do you want to meet when we finish?"

He had to believe Ezra was still alive, fighting the Empire's influence. It was too much to bare to think his Padawan would give in that easily.

"Meet at the western mesa when you finish. It's thirty miles from the city, so the location is pretty easy to find." Caden reluctantly agreed, "Just make sure your crew knows what's going on. I don't want to give them any reason to pull their blasters on me."

"I'll make sure they know," he said.

Kanan watched them walk away before leaving himself. He was torn between taking his time getting back to the Phantom or sprinting the whole way there. Even if its a small piece of hope, he knew this was their only chance to find his lost student before anything bad happened. But that's when reality hit him again, like it always did when things fell into place.

 _What is he like now?_

He was still thinking about this when he reached the edge of town. By then, the sky was almost completely dark.

Zeb and Sabine were keeping watch when he walked up to the hatch. From the Lasat's expression and sound of Sabine's tone, Kanan knew he was in for more trouble when they got back. Hera's captain's voice could be scary.

"Where were you?" Sabine started. "Hera just ordered us to look for you!"

"Sorry for not checking in earlier," he said. "I just finished talking to someone who may know where Ezra is."

"Who?" Zeb asked warily.

Kanan hoped they would take this gracefully. "Remember that little girl who spied on us?"

Sabine was beginning to wonder if their leader was feeling all right. "You mean the one Zeb scared off? Did you find her parents?"

The jedi shook his head in confusion. There were so many questions he wanted ask to Caden but he no idea where to start without upsetting the little girl or offending her guardian.

"Her guardian said he was watching her while they were away," Kanan said. "He's a mechanic employed at Arka's."

"Are you sure he's telling the truth?" she asked. "The last time we tried to find Intel about him, no one said they knew anything."

Zeb nodded. "Plus, the kid is nothing like Ezra."

"Let's go," sighed Kanan, boarding the Phantom. "I'm sure Hera is waiting on the Ghost to give me an ear full, also."

Sabine and Zeb faintly smiled. They knew the pilot was going to do just that. The long, silent flight back gave them all time to think about this informant. Would this guy really lead them to Ezra? They have been searching for so long that they nearly all forgot what hope felt like.

When they attached to the Ghost, Hera stood in the doorway. She looked ready to shoot someone, namely Kanan, whenever they tried to move. The twi'lek's green eyes bored into him as he turned around.

"Kanan Jarrus, where were you?" she snapped. "Zeb and Sabine told me you were still in the city when I checked in."

* * *

This was an tough chapter to write. It feels like I put all of my creative energy into chapter five alone. If you want to find out who Amira's parents are and see if Kanan survives Hera's wrath, keep on reading. I will try to post decent chapters in the future.

Midnight Luna: Well, I am only an fan of Rebels. I would not know how to portray Luke properly as they are in the movies. He may be lightly mentioned.

JJ - Thank you for your review. I will to aim to write longer chapters if possible. To avoid run on sentences, this is probably the best method I can work with.

DeathGoddesses: Keep reading. That's all I can say.


	7. Chapter 7

"Kanan Jarrus, where were you?!" the Twi'lek's green eyes bored into him. "Zeb and Sabine told me you were still in the city when I checked in."

The Jedi flinched as Hera stood in front of them glaring light sabers at him. He may be reckless at times, but Kanan knew better than to get on her bad side. If the Sith knew about their pilot's temper, they may reconsider messing with their crew all together.

"Let me explain," Kanan said. He held up his hands in slight surrender. "There's a good reason I stayed behind."

Hera's stern expression lightened up as she crossed her arms. "I'm listening."

Zeb lightly elbowed Sabine, smiling. "This should be good."

Kanan and Hera glanced at him in warning. The Lasat winced just seeing how annoyed they both were.

"I was just kidding," Zeb defended. "Aren't you going tell her?"

He returned the same annoyed expression before anyone could speak up. It was miracle any of them were able to survive one mission, but it was another to be a victim of Hera's wrath.

"Let's talk in the common room after you put those ship parts up," Kanan told him.

The Lasat rolled his eyes and went back into the Phantom to grab the crate. During the whole flight back, it made him curious how his friend would handle Hera's wrath and how she would take the news. Picking up the small box, he wondered how poor the repair shop was if they were unable to afford large crates. Despite its size, the box still weighed a ton.

After setting the parts in the cargo hold, he joined the others. They were gathered around the table with Hera and Kanan sitting in the booth. From the looks of things, it seemed like Kanan was being tortured by the Force from the way Hera stared at him. Zeb couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

The jedi sat straight up in his seat. "Something funny, Zeb?"

"No," the Lasat said. "Now are you just going to sit there or explain what's going on?"

Rubbing his forehead, Kanan shakily began to explain. Why was it so hard to talk about this?

"Well, here's the deal." he said, "After you scared that girl into hiding, I found her behind a deactivated droid. She was small for her age, but I would have had a hard time trying to find her if the girl stayed quiet. It took a few minutes to learn who she was and about her situation."

Hera sounded confused as they all felt. "What girl?"

"While leaving the repair shop, Zeb got annoyed and growled." Sabine told her. "She ran around a corner before we could ask what she was doing spying on us."

"So that's what spent all your time doing?"

Kanan gave Hera a look that told her it was something important. The same loss and relief hit him again. It was the same one she has become familiar with over the years.

"I couldn't see the girl's parents anywhere, so I went to check on her." he said, "The thing about her, though, is that she disappeared around the corner so fast it made me think of Ezra."

The silence that settled over the room made his stomach churn. It was one thing to have the Empire drug you, but to actually think he saw someone that looked like the boy made the jedi think he was going to crazy. _The rest of the crew probably does, too._

"You're kidding right?" Sabine was in disbelief. She took off her helmet, flicking her dyed bangs. "She barely looks like him; Zeb said so himself!"

Hera's face softened sadly. She didn't know what to think or say for a few minutes, but it was clear what this was about. The pilot still held out hope he was somewhere safe.

"Kanan, we don't even know if Ezra is even on this planet anymore." she sighed, "Are you sure that's what you saw?"

"Hera, you weren't there." he insisted, "If you saw her then you would think the same thing."

"Look, I didn't mean to scare the kid. Who was I to know she would be right around that corner?!" Zeb raised his voice. "Maybe if her parents kept a close eye on her, then she wouldn't have heard me growl."

The pilot glared at him. There was so much to think about, she did not know where to start. All she could see was the short teen who could pick pocket any of them if they let their guard down for a second.

"You growled at a child?" she growled. "Please tell me you found her parents."

Unlike her captain voice, the Lasat did not know whether to be scared or not. Shaking her head, Hera looked back at Kanan worriedly.

Chopper beeped in amusement as he watched Zeb get scolded.

The Lasat fisted his wrapped hand. "Your lucky Hera wants you to stick around."

"Will you cut it out?" snapped Sabine.

Kanan resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. Chopper had a point; it did not help that Zeb growled in the presence of someone so young. He cleared his head and forced himself to relax.

"No, her guardian told me that her parents have been away for awhile. I have no idea where they went but it must be important," He recalled from memory. "The guy told me their names were Caden and Amira."

"Then that would mean..." Sabine trailed off.

"She's not an orphan as long as she has someone to take care of her," he said. "Besides, he agreed to meet us after we completed repairs."

Zeb wondered what this man was like. As of late, their leader has not been in his right mind for the last few weeks. The Lasat did not know what was going on but he knew meeting a random mechanic could be the craziest thing they could do at the moment. The Empire was after their blood for crying out loud!

"I know seeing this kid has ruffled you up, but what makes you think she's connected to Ezra?" Zeb off-handedly demanded.

"What if it's a trap?" added Sabine. "Aren't we supposed to be heading back to Yavin after the engine is fixed?"

Kanan tried to think of reasons why the Force would lead them to this mission. Even if he could explain this gut feeling, it still would not make sense. They were possibly one meeting away from finding his Padawan; the crew had to take this chance!

"I don't how, but she is." The jedi told them, "When I asked Caden if he seen Ezra anywhere, he figured out I wasn't a bounty hunter."

"For all you know, this 'Caden' could be an Imperial informant!" Sabine told him.

Hera did not like the idea of meeting a random stranger just anywhere, either. She just started repairing at the shield generator. They would not be able escape as fast as she wanted to if the crew were ambushed.

"Are you sure we can trust this man?" asked Hera. "It does sound like he knows something but we can't meet just anywhere."

He now understood why Caden made him promise to explain to the crew what was going on. The jedi could see Sabine and Zeb opening fire on him for one harmless comment while Hera would just snap his head off. Hopefully, they would understand his next words.

"I know what you're thinking, but trust me." the jedi reassured. "He didn't look like someone who would work for the Empire."

"Just out of curiosity, where did he say he wanted to meet us?"

Kanan shared Hera's worry that this might be another set up. After the last 'anonymous' informant lured them to Capital City's catacombs, they all were more cautious about who they dealt with. But something told him that it was worth the risk of being detected.

"Caden wants us to meet on a mesa west of Anchorhead," he said.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"Me, too." agreed Zeb, "The longer we stay on this planet, the more berserk Sabine gets."

"At least Yavin is not a dust bowl," she huffed.

The Lasat followed Sabine out of the common room. For once, he seemed unsure about what would happen if he managed to actually make the Mandalorian angry. Kanan and Hera shuttered at what she would do to Zeb.

"You think we'll see him in the morning?" Kanan asked.

"Seeing that we need to meet him after repairs tomorrow, let's hope so." Hera shook her head, "Speaking of, I want to talk you about this informant you ran into today."

He thought they were on the same page. "We already did."

She sternly folded her arms across her chest. "No, we held a meeting about it."

Chopper beeped at them, annoyed that he was being ignored.

Kanan could not tell if his sigh sounded tired. "Yes, Chopper?"

The droid complained about missing his rust bath that morning.

"I'll give you one in the morning," Hera promised.

This calmed him down before he rolled out off towards the hanger where his charging port was, pouting. For once, Kanan was considering taking Zeb's advice to dismantle Chopper for an entire evening.

"What was that about?" the jedi asked.

"You know what happens if Chop misses his rust bathes," Hera told him. She was not buying his attempt to change the subject. The pilot gave him another worried look before she began. "Listen, I know you're hoping to find Intel about Ezra's whereabouts but maybe you were just seeing things."

He couldn't believe that Hera would say this. Kanan took a deep breath and leaned his elbows on the table.

"I know what I saw in that shop, Hera." he whispered shakily, "That girl's eyes looked exactly like Ezra's."

The Twi'lek could not stand seeing Kanan break down like this. He always tries to stay strong for them yet he refuses to let the crew comfort him. Hera knew he missed his student. There were times in the past where she wondered if they weren't related to each other somehow, seeing how the boy tried to follow in his master's footsteps.

"Like we told Sabine, we will find him." she said, "But maybe this isn't the way to do it. This man could be undercover for the Empire."

That theory crossed his mind long after their conversation, but that didn't seem right. If Caden wanted extra credits, he was sure the man could contact customers willing to venture into the depths of a black hole if that is it took to get paid. He thought of the senator who nearly trapped them came to mind. The jedi pushed the idea away, not knowing what to think.

"If that were the case, I would have would have noticed something." The jedi pressed, "He told me all I needed to know when he started acting overprotective of Amira."

Hera smiled at this. It was no secret to the crew that he was tougher on Ezra than anyone else. "Like you?"

Kanan could not keep up with her sometimes. "What's that supposed to be mean?"

The pilot couldn't help but laugh. "Even when you were not training, you have always been tough on Ezra."

"Someone has to watch out for the kid," Kanan told her. His shoulders slumped as he rubbed his eyes.

The room was quiet again as Hera put her hand over his. "It's not good to stress yourself like this."

"I'm going to bed, alright?" Kanan slowly stood up with her. "Can we still talk about meeting Caden?"

"I'll think about it," said Hera. "Get some sleep. Jedi need rest, too, you know."

She pecked his cheek before heading to her cabin. Kanan was tempted to sit down again after today's discovery. The crew would have found him sleeping on the bench if he didn't make his feet move. Everything would even out somehow. Whether it ended badly depended on them and the Force's willingness to work for them this time around.

* * *

So how what this chapter? Good? Bad? Poor? Was everyone in character? Hopefully, it's halfway decent.

Kanan: Raven!

Me: What?!

Kanan: Calm down.


	8. Chapter 8

Hera leaned back in the captain's seat studying the cliff face at the far end of the valley. While waiting for the final diagnostic results, the pilot was still surprised they managed to repair the Ghost in four days. It wasn't easy with these high temperatures but at least none of them passed from heat stroke yet.

The twi'lek looked over her shoulder hearing the door open behind her. They have been talking about whether or not this stranger was worth the risk the last few days. None of them wanted to find out this man was dragging this rescue mission just for a hand full of credits offered to him by Imperial officers or someone far worse. The bounty on their heads were probably enough catch the of anyone looking for a payday.

"So are we meeting Caden today then?" he began.

"It's worth a shot," the pilot nodded. "If the intel is creditable, then we may have back before we know it."

"Good," Kanan smiled. "I'll let him know."

Just as he stood up, she stopped the jedi before he could head to his cabin. This was the first time in five years since Hera has seen him smile. As exciting as this new lead was, something has been nagging her the last few days.

"Hold on. I want to talk to you about something before you wake Zeb and Sabine," she said quietly. "What will you do if this man ends up being like Vizago? Or worse, another set up?"

Kanan ran his fingers through his brown hair as he sat down again. The thought of this being another trap set up by the Empire has crossed his mind lately, but there was nothing to give them reason to worry about that yet.

"Like I said last night, this isn't a sure thing." the jedi admitted, "If the Imperials do ambush us then we have no choice but to run. Is that what you're worried about?"

"I want to make sure you're going to be alright no matter what happens," she nodded. "You haven't been yourself lately."

He understood why Hera worried about him. There were nightmares that even his subconscious mind blocked. Every now and then, they still visit but not as bad mediating. There are moments where he sensed his Padawan's distance presence through the Force during some kind of chaotic vision.

"I'll be fine," he told the pilot. "When the diagnostics are finished, prep the Ghost for the western mesa outside of Anchorhead."

"I already have the coordinates punched in," she smiled. "They should be ready in a few minutes anyhow."

Kanan left the pilot with an data pad in her hand. When it came to the Ghost, it was best for everyone to follow her instructions. They would never be able to get around the way they do without her. The first door he knocked on was Sabine's.

He heard soft rustling and footsteps head toward the door. It slid open to show the young woman rubbing her forehead. Looking up at him, she was obviously surprised to see the jedi up this early.

"What is it, Kanan?" she asked.

"Get dressed and meet Hera in the cockpit," he told her. "We're going to see Caden today."

"I thought you both agreed it was too risky!" she raised her voice.

"We talked about it some more and she agrees its worth a shot."

Sabine narrowed her eyes. "What if -"

The jedi interrupted her before she could the finish sentence they were expecting out of either her or Zeb. This was not the first time they risked discovery for Intel. Vizago's camp on Lothal was sitting out in the open and they always managed to leave undetected, not counting the cortex disrupters they had to blow up.

"We planned an escape route if it turns out to be an ruse," he promised. "Now Hera is waiting for you; that's an order."

She went back into her room as he headed towards Zeb's cabin. He was preparing himself to face an enraged lasat after telling him of their meeting. The big guy cherished his sleep. Knocking on his door, Kanan remembered the TIE he and Ezra hijacked while going on an supply run.

"Coming!" a gruff voice answered before the door slid open. Leaning against the doorway, Zeb gave him an look. "Knew you go crazy first. Why are you smiling like that?"

He did not realize he was grinning like an manic. Maybe it was because they finally had found someone who was willing to give them information.

"We're going to meet Caden at his location," Kanan

Zeb growled but understood what this meant. None of them were never the same after they were forced to leave Ezra behind. The kid may have been annoying, but he was the closest thing he had to a younger brother.

"I'll get dressed," he grumbled.

Kanan headed back to the cockpit to find Hera making last minute preparations. She looked to eager to take off as much as he was. It was hard to believe that its been five years since they received any promising leads.

He sat in the co-pilot's seat, watching the twi'lek mess with the panel. "Everything checks out?"

"Systems are back to normal," she smiled. "How long did it take to get them up?"

Kanan leaned back in the chair

"Not long," he said. "Though, Sabine was surprised to hear you agreed to this meeting."

Hera looked up as if this were news. Usually, they expect something like this from Ezra or Zeb to rather 'interesting' meetings, but Sabine was the last person any of them would think of objecting to exchanging information."

"We're going to tell them the whole story, anyway. So now might be a good time to explain why we decided to meet Caden so far out."

"That's if you can a word in," Kanan added.

Chopper led Zeb and Sabine into the cockpit where they both sat down in the extra chairs. Neither of them looked happy about talking to Caden. Either that or one of them were planning some form of revenge for dragging the whole crew to an open cliff top.

"What's this about meeting Caden?" demanded Zeb. "I thought you and Hera were not going to fly there."

"Because this may be our only chance to get information on where the Empire took Ezra," Kanan told theem. "It may be risky, but this guy could know something we don't."

Chopper beeped in disagreement.

"Chopper gets what I'm saying," Sabine pointed out. "There could be records on Lothal we don't even know about."

The crew knew they used every resource on Lothal as they searched for clues where to go next. The information they received were based off rumors going of a 'black market dealer' being seen meeting customers in a bar. The bar tender at time told them he disappeared one day as if he were a 'ghost.'

Hera spun around to look at them. If they left now knowing this man was willing to share information with them, it would have been for nothing.

"We talked it over for a couple days and decided its worth the risk," she explained. "If someone like this man is willing to meet us, then we should at least give him a chance."

"Which is why we have to meet him today," added Kanan. "Are we in agreement?"

"Fine," grumbled Zeb.

"Don't mess this up like you usually do," Sabine added.

The jedi lifted a brow at her comment. "I don't go off script."

Chopper once again sided with the mandalorian.

"I take that as an 'yes,'" commented Hera. Well, it was good to know everyone was on the same page.

While Zeb and Sabine prepared to meet Caden, the pilot managed to navigate the Ghost through the large canyon into the open sky. The flat horizon and rock formations made focusing on one place in sky difficult with the suns nearly blinded her. She was starting to wonder if they would get to location in one piece.

"That went well," Kanan commented, sitting down.

Hera squinted her eyes as she scanned the skyline for a flat cliff face. Caden told them that it looked like a natural landing plat form. So far, they flew past maybe two that their contact's description. It was a miracle the Ghost was able to scan

"It nearly turned into a mutiny," she quietly laughed. "What did Caden say the formation looked like again?"

"Did you put in the coordinates before we took off?" the jedi asked.

She glared at Kanan before refocusing on the burning landscape in front of her. It was a good thing he was still handsome as

"Yes, I did," the twi'lek told him. "The rocks all look the same on this planet its hard to figure out where we're supposed to land."

They flew around the city to avoid unwanted attention. Zeb and Sabine told her later on it was overrun with storm troopers returning from the supply run four days ago. It was not surprising after their last two raids on the nearby TIE base.

Sighing, Kanan knew he was in trouble again. Caden never told him if he had his own ship or crew. Just as the jedi expected her to ask the question, the mesa came into view. _Thank the Force!_

As she landed the ship on the flat surface, Hera gave him a look that said she knew about that second question. "Did Caden say he had an ship?"

"No, he said he would meet us here."

The twi'lek knew either Ezra or Kanan would be the death of her one day. Unlike the rest of the crew, those always manage to cause some form of trouble. She sighed, placing an hand on her hip.

"We're already here," Hera huffed. "We might as well see if he really did come or not."

Walking the down the open ramp, they saw a light brown ship parked a few yards away from the Ghost. It was slightly larger than the Phantom with two nose guns poking out under its head. One glance at the entire ship told them whoever owned it intended to use it for small time battle.

"That's Caden's ship?" Sabine commented. "It looks so boring."

Kanan stared at the ship imagining what would colors she would paint the ship. There was not clean wall on the Ghost since she joined the crew seven years ago. The dusty surface was quiet expect for the wind kicking up dirt. After all, the guy implied he had information they could use to find Ezra. No matter what this stranger promised, this silence made him uneasy. Caden's ship was here, but where was he?

Kanan reached for his blaster. "Keep an eye out for anything strange," he told the crew. "The first sign of trouble, run back to the Ghost."

Sabine readied her blasters if a troop of bucket heads appeared in front of them. "I told you it was a trap!"

The group expected Agent Kallus to step off Caden's ramp when they heard it open. Kanan could not believe he was stupid enough to fall for another trap set up by the Empire!

"Back to the ship!"

The jedi fired at the man walking towards them. Just before anyone could reach the Ghost, he ran over to mechanic and helped him sit up.

"Sorry about that. We thought the Empire set us up again," he apologized. "Are you alright?"

Caden stood up, taking deep breathes. Dusting sand out of his dark brown hair, he glared at Kanan while ignoring the pain. "I told you to explain to your crew to not use me as a target!"

"That was me."

Okay, Kanan has met some pretty angry people before. Zeb was someone you did not want to anger unless you had an death wish. But this guy came in third place behind Hera, who would not hesitate to shoot someone for threatening her crew.

"Well, that includes you," Caden muttered, holding his shoulder lightly. "Are you sure you're not bounty hunters?"

"We're just a group looking for information," said Kanan, crossing his arms. "I believe you know something about our missing friend."

The others stared at them cautiously. It took a few minutes for the crew to figure out that this was the informant they came to talk to.

"Are you sure he isn't the bait?" Zeb whispered.

Sabine shook her head as she clipped her weapons to her belt. "If this guy is, then he's doing an good job playing innocent."

Hera holstered her blaster and walked up to them. When Kanan said this man wanted to meet them out here, she was not sure if their informant would be an threat to them. It was now clear he was just trying out to help anyway he could.

"Sorry, we didn't know if anyone was here," she said. "We can take care of your arm in our ship."

Caden silently brushed off the gesture and looked over his shoulder. A little girl was running full speed back to his ship with her long flying behind her. The group was recovering from shock as the mechanic got to his feet and ran after her.

"Why would he bring a child with him?" Hera blinked. "Is she the girl you saw at the repair shop?"

"Yes," Kanan said. "Though, I am surprised as the rest of you he would bring her with him. I can only hope she knows we don't want to hurt them."

Even though he didn't see the little girl's eyes, it was easy to imagine the panic on her face. Kanan would not blame Amira for not wanting to come out after what he done to Caden. If he decided they were too dangerous, then the crew could lose the only bit of information. Both of her parents were out of the picture and seeing something like that could not help.

"After what she seen you do to Caden, I wouldn't be surprised if they took off on us," Sabine told him uneasily.

Hera stared at the small ship with guilt. She never expected this man to have a daugther. From what the others told her, he was jsut another smuggler looking to con someone.

"To think this was another trap set up by the Empire," she sighed.

"I'm sure the kid will come around after a few minutes," says Zeb.

Sabine could not believe her crew mate was alright with scaring a little girl. "Even if she does want to meet us, she'll probably head to back his ship to hide from you."

Kanan sighed. While he did not expect to see the girl again, the least the jedi could do was make sure none of them gave Caden reason to fly off faster than any of them could say 'karabast.'

"No matter whose fault it is, we need to make sure we don't do anything to scare them off." He told them, "Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," the lasat mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Caden walked up to them with Amira at his side. She watched them through narrow silts, daring the crew to make a move to try anything. It was awkward to have an toddler stare them down, especially for Zeb. If Kanan didn't know better, she might be a Lothcat in human form.

Hera knelt down to the child's eye level, smiling gently. "What would your name be?"

"Amira."

* * *

What did we learn from this chapter? Never shoot your informants in the shoulder.

I was not sure if I should add more. But here is the final result, so tell me what you about what has happened so far.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: Rebels.

Gracie: We all have to sooner or later. When you do, let's say just you will have panic attacks as much as Hera and Kanan.


	9. Chapter 9

"Amira."

"I'm Hera," she pointed to the crew standing behind her. "The man that accidentally hurt Caden is Kanan; the other two are Zeb and Sabine."

The girl stared at each of their faces before focusing on Zeb's. She hid in Caden's shadow as her blue eyes widened in fear. Thankfully, the Zeb did not growl to Hera's relief. She remembered Sabine telling her that he became frustrated about something when she peeked around an isle corner, but what for?

 _Knowing Zeb, it could have been anything,_ thought Hera, standing up.

She was trying to get over the shock of seeing her here, but found it impossible to breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest as Kanan helped her regain balance. This could be a dizzy spell that were the beginnings of heat stroke yet that did not feel right. She could only think of the one reason why they were here.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's just the heat."

Kanan's expression said he understood. As much as Hera wanted to ask, there were too many questions already forming in the back of her mind. That would have to wait, seeing they were here on official business.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Amira surprised us."

"That kid always manages to surprise at every turn," Caden shrugged. "But we're not here to talk about Amira. What kind of information do you want to know?"

"Anything."

Kanan watched the mechanic think. From the moment they met in Anchorhead, he knew that this guy could secretly be an black market dealer. The signs were easy to spot if someone spent enough time around them. It was either that or Caden operated his own Intel ring.

The jedi crossed his arms. "Let's start with how you know our friend?"

Caden stared at them before bowing his head and blinking. Looking up, his grey eyes were less guarded than when he was shot.

"Please keep the girl in mind here," He explained just as sternly. "Your friend met my crew five years ago on an backwater planet called Lothal. He wasn't exactly easy to find after first running into him on the street."

Sabine was stunned out of her thoughts. She was too busy thinking of who this girl reminded her of that it did not occur to her that another cell spotted him somewhere in Capital City. It was obvious that Amira looked more like her mother than their missing crewmate. She shook her head at the last part.

 _Ezra? A dad?_ she scoffed mentally. _Yeah, right._

"Did he have dark hair and tan skin?" the young woman asked.

"Yes," Caden gasped in pain. "He was a kid then, no more than fifteen."

Zeb rolled his eyes watching him put pressure on the wound. "Not much for pain, is he?"

The mechanic glared at him. Even though he was smaller, Caden could bring down the giant without using his blaster. He may not be as agile as their 'missing friend' but he knew close combat.

Amira tugged on the bottom of his red jacket. "Does your arm hurt?"

"It'll be fine," Caden said.

"Would you like to talk about this on our ship after we patch you up?" Hera offered.

The pilot did not like how their pale contact was as he applied more pressure to injury. If they did not give him medical attention now, Amira would become an orphan today.

"How do I know you're not really working for the Imperials?"

"Didn't we just go over this?" Zeb told him. "For the last time, we are not working for those bucket heads!"

The lasat sometimes wondered where he got his Intel. If it was not from Vizago, then it was usually from Fulcrum or some other source. He never understood how they found these people; it was like they were cloned and programmed to give them missions resulting in some kind of damage!

Amira flinched at the slight hint of annoyance.

"Spectre Four, calm down." Kanan sternly told him, "You're scaring the kid. Now go prepare the med-bay."

Zeb muttered something under his breath as he and Sabine went into the ship. Once they were out of sight, the three adults guided the girl towards the Ghost. It was only when Amira fell behind that they found her peering into the haul.

"No one will hurt you in there," Caden assured her.

Amira looked to Kanan and Hera. "What about that man?"

The jedi could hear Ezra asking an similar question. It was hard to not think of his Padawan looking at this girl. Shaking his head, he motioned them inside as he thought of who Ezra could have met during the last five years. If so, what did this mean?

"He's just having an bad day," Kanan told her.

The little girl nodded, still nervous.

When they reached the hallway outside the med-bay, Caden knelt down in front of Amira. She nearly choked the man as he tried to pry her arms from around his neck. Wherever her parents went must be dangerous if this child was clinging to him so tightly.

"Don't go," the girl whimpered.

Caden ruffled her dark hair with his clean hand. To their alarm, blood was now soaking through his shirt. "I'll be with you in a minute. Promise."

Kanan carefully helped the mechanic stand up. "Let's get you fixed up first then you can join us in the common room."

Amira panicked as Hera pulled her away. Small sobs shook her small body as the pilot tried to calm her down, watching the door close behind the two men. Zeb was probably in there waiting to leave. It would make the girl hysterical if he walked out now or even followed them to common room. Tightening her grip on the toddler, Hera started walking down the hall as she buried her head into her shoulder.

Hera swallowed her own tears. _What could have happened to her family?_

"Kanan is only helping Caden fix his shoulder," the twi'lek smiled. "He'll be fine."

The girl was speechless.

Hera chuckled as the toddler stared up at her. This seemed to calm Amira down to where she could walk into the room on her own without disappearing on them. She resisted the urge to hug the girl, not knowing if this will chase her off.

They found Sabine sitting in the booth, deep in thought. Now that they were inside the ship, she had her helmet sitting in front of her. The mandolrian sat up seeing Amira's tear streaked face. "Hera, did -"

"Everything's fine, Sabine," the pilot told her. "Amira did not want to leave Caden's side outside the med-bay, that's all."

Sabine looked down at the orphan. With pleading eyes like those, she would put an Lothcat to shame. That is if they were friendly towards you. She understood where the girl was coming from. After the Empire wiped out her family, she secretly kept tabs on the crew on missions during her first year as an rebel.

She knew Hera would not allow her to show Amira her cabin, but maybe the hallway outside the cockpit would work. _Here goes nothing._

"Do you want to see something?" Sabine smiled.

Amira cocked her head. "What is it?"

"A painting." She hoped this would work. "I'm sure Caden wouldn't mind, right Hera?"

Hera watched Amira's face light up. It was hard to ignore Sabine's one of 'masterpieces.' "Well, I supposed it wouldn't hurt."

Both women heard the door slide open, expecting their crewmates to confidently walk in. It was not like that at all. Caden was holding a felt bag filled with small objects that dully jingled. From the suspicious expressions Kanan and Zeb wore, it looks like they were unable to find out what was inside. It was not tied to his waist when they first met unless the man was hiding it under his jacket and somehow managed to smuggle it onto the Ghost. They were so busy thinking this meeting was a trap that no one thought to check.

 _I should have known this would happen._

The pilot kept eye contact with the black market dealer, not wanting to miss one movement. "Sabine, why don't you show Amira one of your paintings?"

Sabine knew what was going to happen next. Things were going to get nasty fast, and Amira did not need to be in the room when the twi'lek tore the black market dealer apart. If he was not dismembered, then either his face would be rearranged or turned into cheese by Hera's blaster. Kanan blew it this time!

"Sure," She turned to Amira. "There's one out in the hallway. Want to start there?"

The girl looked from Caden to the three adults waiting for them leave. It was a few minutes for the toddler before let herself be led out by the hand. Only when the group heard Chopper's beeps and Sabine's voice echo down the hall, did they corner the mechanic.

"Alright, the joke is over." Kanan folded his arms, glaring. "Are you a mechanic or black market dealer?"

"Both."

Zeb snorted. "And my father's an lasat!"

Caden knew he was in trouble. It took an hour to realize who this group was! His contact told him it was the Ghost cell who took control of an tower on Lothal before one of them were captured. If he also remembered correctly, his partner was once part of this cell before leaving.

"Then tell us what's in that bag!" Hera pointed to the bag in his hand.

"This?" frowned Caden. "It's my stash of data chips. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to hire us to gather Intel."

Kanan could not believe he struck a deal with yet another crime lord; Vizago was bad enough. Tatoonie was starting to scare him. If its residence could look like normal people, then who were smugglers? The more he thought about it, the jedi realized this was the perfect place for Ezra to hide in plain sight.

"Like who?"

Caden sat down at the table, wincing. This would not be the first time clients tried to kill him but they must be desperate. None of them wanted to shoot him in the head yet.

"My partner and I had two bounty hunters come to us looking for information on a human male from Gorse. They told us he was guilty of treason but neither of them didn't say what for," he explained, giving them the lazy eye.

The jedi felt his hand inch toward his blaster. _This guy is two times is worse than Vizago!_

This guy was talking about hunting down possibly innocent civilians as if it were an bar story! That was unacceptable!

Hera glared at him before looking at the dealer again. "And did you two find information on him?"

Caden nodded.

"The man was innocent. When I hacked into the Imperials' files at the information center on this planet, I uploaded false charges the Empire transferred here at the time onto a holodisk. Supposedly, the guy was 'accused' of leaking information to rebels somehow," he continued. "What they probably didn't know was that I messed with the coordinates of the fugitive's location."

The crew was floored again. Who was this man if he was not an black market dealer?

"Are you sure you're a black market dealer?" scowled Zeb.

The mechanic tensed. If he dislocated his shoulder in the process, then he would be out of the job for a few weeks. "Who said we were?"

"Whose 'we?'" Kanan asked.

This was worse than imaging the Empire torturing or killing him on an star destroyer! After pulling that stunt with Vizago, he and Hera made him promise to never do anything that reckless again. Did the kid have a death wish?

Caden lifted a brow. "Your 'missing friend' and I."

"So you know where they taken him?" Hera suggested.

He bowed his head as if Zeb punched him in the stomach. Kanan was surprised to hear him sigh.

"Do you or do you not know?" the lasat demanded.

"No, but I did..." Caden trailed off, realizing what he was about to say.

"If its something that could help us find him, I suggest you tell us now," threatened Kanan.

Caden could not let his emotions overlap with his business life. It was bad for business, as Vizago would say. But that rule was broken two years ago when Amira was born. Staring at the small bag in his palm, he decided to try convince them it was worth the credits.

"You should know I have the information you want," he grinned. "I'll even throw in the mission detail in for free."

Zeb snarled at him. "Where did Kanan find you?"

"Zeb!" Kanan managed to get the lasat's attention before he could actually give Caden an black eye. "Let him talk."

Caden dumped the small bag out onto the table to shift through the pile of data chips. When he found one with a purple tab on it, the dealer scooped the rest the into the bag and placed it inside his jacket again.

"What makes you think we're buying?" Hera asked. "You're the one who let us repair our ship."

"Because you needed the ship to be in good condition to fly out here," he shrugged. "This is the closest area safe from Imperial eyes."

Kanan could not tell how much time they wasted convincing this dealer to tell them the information they needed. If he didn't give up, then maybe they should look somewhere else in the galaxy.

"If we do decide to buy the information from you, then how much would it cost?"

"One hundred credits," the mechanic told them.

Hera was going to give Kanan a piece of her piece once they were in hyperspace. They just finished repairs and mostly like would go back to Vizago looking for a job. "We spent most of what we had on parts."

"Right," scoffed Caden. "I'll give you a job then. I thought it would a simple recon mission, but ever since my partner was grabbed that all changed."

Kanan shared an look with Hera. Well, they needed to find a job as soon as possible if they wanted to fly back to Lothal. The jedi nodded in agreement.

"What kind are we talking about?"

The dealer's grey eyes dared him to comment on why he was handing over such important Intel. Wasn't he worried they would keep it for themselves?

"Go over the information on this data chip. It may make more sense to you than me," he quietly murmured.

"Where did you get this one?" Kanan blinked.

"Remember those bounty hunters I told you about?" Caden said. "We tricked them into giving us that chip as payment."

He stood up just as Chopper wheeled in with Sabine and Amira. The little girl's eyes told them all that she enjoyed the ship tour while they talked.

"Did you have fun?" he laughed quietly.

Amira nodded. "They were pretty!"

"Thanks!" Sabine smiled. "How about we paint an sunset someday?"

"If this mission goes well, then you might be able to."

Caden didn't know how successful this crew would be. The others he met were unwilling to raid the communication tower on this planet after what happened on Lothal. Since the Empire tightened their security protocol, it was nearly impossible to sneak in without raising some kind of alarm. Besides, his friend would lose it if he learned that Amira was left alone with strangers.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The artist glared at him. "If you haven't noticed, we took the time to meet you here."

"Sabine!" Hera hissed.

Sabine understood the warning in the pilot's tone. Now was not the time to complain when they were talking to an informant.

"You're talking about the Imperials' security changes," the twi'lek said.

"They're starting to check ID of anyone going in and out of their communication towers here," Caden told them. "I'm guessing that's how my friend got caught somehow. Usually, he's able to sneak in and out without raising the alarm."

 _This mission is about Ezra then,_ Kanan realized. _Why would this guy be interested in finding him?_

The jedi could not keep the question from bouncing around in his head. Once they went over the Intel, maybe that can be answered.

"We'll remember that," he said gratefully. "Thanks for giving us an chance."

Caden nodded. "I hope this Intel helps out. Do you mind if I join you?"

"What kind of Intel are we looking for?" Hera asked.

"His location, but you knew that. "

Kanan and Hera shared another look before one of them nodded. Sabine did not know what those two were thinking by letting him tag along.

"What did we miss?" She muttered to Zeb.

"We have another mission," the lasat whispered back.

She felt her hand reach for her blaster. _What?!_

Zeb grunted in agreement. He did not blame her for wanting to finish the job.

"We really need to get back home," Caden prompted.

"Right this way," Hera nodded.

As she led their guests from the room, Zeb found himself included in her scolding glare. He knew they were in trouble once she came back if Kanan did not jumped on them for threatening their contact. Between him and Hera, they preferred having Kanan on their backs.

Just as they expected, the jedi started in. "I saw that, Sabine."

"What's this about a new mission?" the young woman demanded.

"It looks like the job Caden gave us involves infiltrating a control tower on this planet," he explained. "I don't know why he wants to find Ezra, but its good a thing he does."

"What reason could an black market dealer have?" Zeb spoke up.

Kanan thought about this and filed it away for later. It was hard to believe Ezra would put himself in danger by working with someone like Caden. The jedi remembered how the Imperials tried to trap the rest of his crew after his poor planning skills got the best of him. Thinking back on it now, being captured was worth it; his family was spared. But how could he have failed Ezra?

"We may find out," he finally answered. "He's going to join us."

Zeb watched him slip the chip into his pocket before walking out. Whatever was on it, they both knew it had something to do with the communication tower they were going to break into.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. So far, it looks things are looking up for the crew. Do you think they can trust Caden?

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: Rebels.


	10. Chapter 10

Hera kept her eyes forward as she thought about how to punish Sabine and Zeb. They all wanted to avoid another 'Lando' incident, but none of them went as far as pulling blasters on the leech when he was aboard. No matter who the contact was, this would not stand on her ship!

 _They are in so much trouble!_ the pilot thought.

She glanced at Caden to see if he was alright. He was messaging his bandaged shoulder at one point during the meeting, and thought about detouring to the med-bay again just to check. Caden may not be trustworthy but the idea of letting him leave injured did not sit well with her.

"Sorry about that," she sighed. "My crew is usually more polite than that when we have guests aboard. Do you want to stop by the med-bay again to check your bandages?"

Amira looked up in shock. "No, he can't!"

The child clung to Caden's hand as if someone would drag him down the hall. Instead of acting like the terrified little girl they first met, she was warily watching the pilot to see what she would do. The pilot did not know what to think of this girl's behavior; no child her age should be this overprotective.

The mechanic shook his head. "Thanks for the offer but I'll be fine. This is no different than an shot."

Hera lifted a brow. "I see."

Their customers probably have tried to kill them after realizing that they were cheated out of who knows how many credits. It would not be the first time she's seen black market dealers walk around with injuries they got from angry customers. The pilot wondered how this effected Amira's family life. How did her parents handle knowing that criminals could be on their doorstep because of one bad deal?

"How long have you been an dealer on the black market?" she asked.

"Six years," Caden told her. "Interested in my career choice?"

Hera rolled her eyes at the suggestion of a career change. She enjoyed piloting, and would do so as long as the Empire oppressed the galaxy. It was worth being chased by groups of TIE fighters if it meant helping refugees.

"I'm just curious about how you managed to convince two bounty hunters to hand over the Intel you gave us."

Caden's grey eyes turned to stone. "You still think I work for the Empire."

"That's not what I think." Hera said, "I want to make sure who you say you are."

The dealer wanted to answer right away. He knew black market dealers had a bad reputation for being ruthless and greedy, but he ignored that thinking. It was something they were not proud of.

He slid down the ladder before letting the twi'lek pass Amira into his arms. Setting the toddler on the metal floor, Caden tried to clear his head enough to answer his hostess. _What answer could I give her that would not make her want to kick me off this cliff face?_

"Well, I can tell you I wouldn't take care of Amira if I were."

This seemed to help her relax a bit but did nothing to earn the pilot's trust. Caden had to admit to himself that she was an tough customer. Then again, she was an rebel.

Hera opened the hatch. "Do you want us to pick you up?"

"It would help," he nodded. "My own ship is low on fuel. We had to put it in storage a year ago after our last mission."

The twi'lek nodded in understanding. There was something behind his words that made her look into Amira's innocent eyes and back up at him. It must have been bad if her guardian refused to speak of it.

"Alright, we'll meet you at the hanger."

She watched the man carry Amira to the ship before closing the ramp. The walk back to the common room had her thinking of what could have happened to her family. Hera felt tears well up in her eyes at the thought of another child having to grow as an orphan. She wiped her face before walking in to find the rest of the crew whispering about something other than the incident she witnessed today.

"Hera, are you okay?" Zeb asked.

"I'm fine," the pilot reassured him. She gave them both pointed looks. "Tell me why you were reaching for your blaster?"

Zeb and Sabine glanced at each other. Judging by their unsure expressions, they could be using the Force to debate on whether or not to tell her why they wanted to execute an ship guest! Of course, she was lucky they only had one jedi board at the moment. The Force knew what she would do once they had Ezra back again.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Sabine decided to ask.

Hera folded her arms. "No, but we should at least give him an chance. That's what this is all about?"

Chopper commented, saying they should have waited until she and Kanan were distracted.

"Yes," Zeb and Sabine answered at the same time.

"If this dealer turns out to be like Lando, he'll be off this ship before he realizes what's going on," She said, using her captain's voice. "He may work in the black market but that does not mean we try to kill him. Until we look at the data chip Caden loaned us, you're going have to be patient with me and Kanan."

The twi'lek understood their worry about either of them having another lapse in judgment. When she found out Kanan approved of betting Chopper, the thought crossed her mind to leave him stranded on Lothal while they smuggled whatever it was. It turned out to be an Puffer, of all things. All she knew was that farmers used them to mine their land. That is, if they did not get caught.

"When will that be?" Zeb asked.

"We'll view the data chip at our landing spot," the pilot determined.

It made her nervous to have the Ghost out in the open where the Imperials could catch them off guard. If the ship was damaged a second time, she knew there would an mutiny while they survived the heat for another few days.

"You mean the one where we crash landed?" corrected Sabine.

"Yes, that spot." the pilot told the, "Do you know where Kanan went?"

Zeb stood up, yawning. "He probably went to bed early."

Kanan never took naps unless Ezra wore him out during Jedi training. A few times in the past the jedi escaped to his room after completing missions or when something overwhelmed him. It worried Hera that he could have locked himself inside again. Walking down the hallway, she wondered what could have brought on this bout of depression.

 _Hopefully, I won't need Zeb to bust down the door,_ she thought, worried.

After finding his door, she knocked and waited for someone to answer. Eventually, the silence became too much. Whatever was going with Kanan, it was never good if he just ignored an member of the crew. The twi'lek sighed in relief to find he did not lock it.

The jedi was sitting on the edge of his bunk with his head bowed. He looked too vulnerable to be meditating, which scared her more than Darth Vader. The Sith Lord may be able to hunt them down through the Force, but seeing their fearless leader break down was worse.

"Kanan?" she questioned.

He lifted his head as she sat beside him. "Something wrong?"

Hera knew this information made him nervous. She did not need to be force-sensitive to know that. "I was worried you locked yourself in again when Zeb told me you went to bed early."

"I'm worried about what the Empire is doing to the kid," confessed Kanan. "You know what they did to me on Mustafar. He may not be able to handle it."

He still had nightmares about what happened on that cold planet. Being strapped to that table while the Inquisitor put him through so many unmentionable things was just one of them, but the worst was thinking his student was dead. There are nights where he has to remind himself that the man was burned alive; that Ezra was still out there somewhere. That alone was enough to keep his hope alive.

"We won't let that happen,"Hera said. "If we could break you out of there, then we can do the same for him."

Kanan nodded as he remembered that his Padawan grew up on the streets. However, it still was not enough to know the kid could survive. That planet would kill him if the Imperials did plan on transporting him there.

"You do realize that happened after we took control of the communication tower on Lothal?"

She nodded. "We've been through worse."

"You're right," the jedi sighed, sitting up. "Aren't we supposed to be heading back to the canyon?"

"I'm going to cockpit now," the twi'lek smiled. "Do you have that data chip?"

"It's in my pocket. Are we going go over the Intel now?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm just make sure you didn't lose it."

Kanan smiled as the pilot walked out. As the jedi sat cross legged on his floor, he took an deep breath and reached out to the Force. The strained Master-Padawan bond he and Ezra shared sometimes told him where the boy was in the galaxy; at other times, it was a brick maze. Every now and then, he sensed Ezra's emotions and rarely got an response back. This was how he knew his student was still out there.

Taking another deep breath, the jedi latched onto their bond. _Ezra!_

There was no answer. He sharpened his focus until his student's familiar presence faintly jolted in surprise. _Kanan?_

 _Ezra, are you alright?_

There was a pause on the other end. It might have taken ten minutes for him to think of an answer unless the kid was given an Force inhibitor. _How are you here?_

 _I told you that we would never leave you._

Kanan's heart broke at that question. He could sense Ezra knew why, but something else was on his mind. Before the jedi could answer, their connection broke shortly before fear and anger took over. He frantically tried to call out to his student again but the black wall separated them.

 _Ezra, answer me! That's an order!_

The thought went unanswered. Kanan did not know how he found his footing through the panicked blur. All he knew was that his Padawan could be locked in an Imperial detention cell, trying to break through the drug induced barrier. The rest of the crew was probably waiting in the common room to view the Intel. The flight to the mesa from their landing spot took about thirty minutes to reach, leaving him with enough time to tell Hera.

The jedi leaned against the doorway, gasping. "Hera!"

"What?" The twi'lek spun around, hand over her heart. One look at Kanan had her setting the ship to autopilot and guiding him to the co-pilot's seat. "What is it?"

He took a few calming breathes. It was hard to think when your own student suddenly stopped talking and let his emotions take over. Whatever was happening to Ezra, it couldn't be good.

"It's Ezra," he managed. "I sensed him a few minutes ago."

Hera's green eyes lit up at the news before growing sober. "What did you the Force tell you?"

"He's still alive but something was not right. Ezra sounded confused as to why we're on this planet," Kanan softly says in disbelief. "Something else was on his mind, also. I couldn't figure out what it was before he stopped answering."

Hera paled. "You mean they could have used an Force inhibitor on him?"

"Possibly," he nodded.

She did not know what to say. They always counted on Kanan when it came to the Force, but there were a few times where he ran into strong mental barriers. It had to be frustrating knowing he was unable to contact Ezra.

Hera switched off the autopilot settings and took manual control of the ship again. She looked over to see Kanan wearing the same worry on his face.

"Then we have to go over that Intel tonight," the pilot decided. "I hope he's alright."

"Me, too."

Kanan watched the landscape turned an dark reddish brown as they flew over the empty desert. The cliffs and mesas were starting to look like distant ruins instead of natural rock formations seen during the day. When they landed, both of them walked to the common room in silence. The closer they got closer to the door, he and Hera could hear Zeb and Sabine's muffled voices coming from inside.

"What do you think is going on with Kanan?" Sabine asked.

"I don't know, but you've got to admit he's been a little off since running into that kid," the lasat admitted.

Pulling out the chip out of his pocket, the jedi hit the same black wall from earlier. "Let's get this over with."

Zeb and Sabine stopped talking as they walked in. It was obvious that their crewmates were coming up with ideas as to why he would be losing his mind. Well, it didn't matter anyhow. If they were going to pull off this break in, they needed to know what they were up against.

"Done yet?" he dryly commented.

"Took you two long enough," Zeb muttered.

Sighing, Kanan messaged his temples. "Let's just go over this Intel for tomorrow. We all don't want another repeat of what happened last time."

His chest tightened as silence fell over the room. It reminded them all that what happened to him could be what Ezra is experiencing if he wasn't now.

Zeb deflated. "Alright, for the kid."

Sabine quietly inserted the chip. The holocron displayed information they were expecting to find, but the crew did not count on finding reports of two high ranking officers who were on Lothal when they smuggled Tseebo off the planet on Empire Day five years ago. The public, no doubt, must know by now.

The young woman scanned the scrolling lines. The reports included sightings of the Ghost throughout the galaxy. There was also a long list of failed and successful raids and supply runs, but they all knew the Empire would compel something like that after they escaped so their forces so many times. Caden said he and his 'partner' tricked two bounty hunters into giving them this data as payment. Their customers either free lanced or were dumb enough to fall for whatever they pulled.

"Where did this come from?" she asked, suspicious. "I don't remember seeing four high ranking officers on Empire Day!"

"Well, it is an important event to them. They could have been stationed in other areas of the city," Hera thought out loud.

"It looks like Caden went over this." Sabine determined, "The Empire usually encrypts information like this when they store this in their system, especially if its transferred across the galaxy."

 _Who is this guy?_ thought Kanan. _Who exactly is his partner?_

Normally, people like Caden would do anything to obtain this instead of making the effort to uncover the information. Heavily guarded targets like communication towers would be risky missions for two man crews to take on by themselves without back up.

"Why would they risk being captured in the first place?" Hera asked, confused. "If it was just him and his partner, they should have known they would get themselves killed."

"You're on to something," Kanan nodded. "It's like they knew it would become a suicide mission."

The jedi felt sick. This did not sound like the kid he got to know during his short time on the Ghost. Ezra did push boundaries sometimes but nothing this risky.

Zeb ground his teeth. _Kid, what have you gotten yourself into?_

Kanan crossed his arms, fisting his hands. He knew Zeb was just as frustrated about why the boy would willingly put himself in danger. As far as he was concerned, the man had everything to do with his capture. Wasn't Ezra his "business" partner?

"We'll have talk to him about that tomorrow," he said. "For now, let's focus on how to get in without being noticed."

"Well, the Imperials definitely upgraded their weapons system." Sabine pointed out, sighing, "Don't even get me started on their ground forces. They basically turned the tower into an land based Imperial carrier. How does this guy expect us to break into this place?"

No matter how she looked at it, the end results were all the same. The young woman did not need to see an projection to know it would be another suicide mission. She wondered what Kanan was thinking. The place was no different than an high security prison.

"Will you be able to create an distraction like last time?" the jedi asked.

"I can, but remember what happened the last time we broke into an communication tower?"

"We don't need you captured by those bucket heads again," the lasat told him. "It's bad enough the Kid's probably sitting in an holding cell somewhere on a carrier."

Kanan pushed that imagine out of his head. He did not want to think of what would happen if they failed Ezra this time. "That's why we need to come up with a plan."

"Well, one of us could get inside posing as one of the storm troopers." Sabine suggested, "Caden did say they were checking ID of anyone going in or out."

Hera folded her arms uneasily. She didn't want another repeat of that episode. It nearly tore the crew part knowing Kanan was being held captive by the Empire. If both of them were captured, chances were they both could be publicly executed for all the 'crimes' they committed in the past. That would not happen on her watch!

"Too bad the Phantom can't mask its own signature," the pilot sighed.

"After we're in, it shouldn't take long to download the information we need. " Kanan confidently explained, "Just remember to keep an eye on Caden. Since he's the only one who knows what were looking for, the Empire cannot get their hands on him."

"Don't you mean its because he knows too much?" Sabine said. "Besides, we don't know how large the file is."

Kanan looked at her and Chopper. "Which is why you and Chopper are going to protect him."

"And will we be doing?" Zeb asked.

"We'll act as back up," he told the lasat. "If everything goes according to plan, then finding Ezra should be easy."

Chopper disagreed with his assignment. After rejoining the crew, the droid has since developed trust issues with everyone except Hera. No one could blame him after his 'traumatizing' experience as Lando's guide.

"Come on, Chop," Sabine set an hand on his orange top. "Let's get some rest for tomorrow morning."

Watching the pair leave the room, Kanan knew he was going to pay for assigning them as Caden's body guards. They were the only present crew members who knew how to hack the Imperials' system without activating the tower's alarms.

"Good job," chuckled Zeb.

"Not helping, Zeb."

The lasat would enjoy watching those two get their revenge. "I'd watch my back if I were you, Kanan."

He watched the door close as Hera stood beside him. They both knew the crew didn't need to verbally agree to this mission, but it worried them what Caden's involvement might be. It was Hera who finally spoke up after the silence stretched out for light years.

The pilot looked up at Kanan. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Does Caden's information remind you of the Senator's?" Hera wondered.

"A little," he sighed. "But its better than following Vizago's Intel. I know what you're thinking, and it won't end like that again."

The twi'lek relaxed, but she still looked nervous. "Just be careful. None us of will be able to survive if you were also captured."

The first time Kanan seen her look this worried was after Zeb joined the crew. A 'good citizen' tipped off the authorities they were seen talking outside an cantina. The Imperials were resourceful when they wanted something, or in their case, someone bad enough. Apparently, the street rat was a miner who went undercover for the Empire in exchange for her freedom, in hopes of returning to her home world. They dropped the woman off in a town on the opposite side of the planet before leaving the system.

"No one on this crew wants to see that happen again," he reassured.

"I hope you're right."

The jedi understood her fear. There was a reason why it was forbidden for Jedi to form attachments, and part of it was the risk of someone going mad from grief. He learned that lesson after the fall of Order 66, his master and the friends he made during his time at the temple. _Is this the Force's way of teaching me this all over again?_

Another silence settled over the room before he spoke up again. "You should get some rest, Hera."

"Let's hope this mission goes smoothly tomorrow," the twi'lek sighed.

"It will. Am I ever wrong?"

Kanan regretted asking that question. There were too many examples of how his pride has gotten him into trouble, not counting his imprisonment. Thinking back to his time as an padawan to meeting Hera and forming the crew, his master would say he needed to spend more mediating instead of blindly rushing into things.

"With the luck we've been having, not as of late."

"Trust me," he told the pilot. "I got something planned the Imperials will not be expecting."

She shook her head as he went to bed. As much as Hera loved him, Kanan's cocky attitude sometimes put them in situations that nearly endangered the whole crew if Ezra or Zeb's antics didn't.

 _Whatever Kanan has planned, it better be good,_ the pilot thought grimly.

* * *

Well, how is the story so far? How you think this op mission will turn out? And here's another one, will I survive Kanan's brutal Jedi training?

Disclaimer: I do not own Stars Wars: Rebels.


	11. Chapter 11

Sabine flicked her bright purple bangs out of her eyes as she doubled checked her gear. The bombs they needed for the mission was going to clean out her C4 supply. Smoke bombs and explosives bought them so much time even if they timed their ambush perfectly, but the break in was not what was bothering her. The last time the crew intentionally attacked a communication tower, it ended badly when they had to leave Kanan behind. After Fulcrum 'ordered' them to go into hiding, she did not know whether to lock herself in her room or graffiti every blank wall on the ship.

Sighing, the artist knew she had to meet the others in the cockpit. Someone would check to see what she doing to waste the little time the crew had to prepare. Clipping the detonator to her belt, Sabine walked out and started down the hallway.

 _Are we really this close to finding Ezra?_

The hopeful thought was pushed to back of her mind the closer she got the cockpit. The young woman learned to always be cautious when it came to information. There are still days where she told herself that her academy days were in the past. It was hard to forget how they willingly withheld information for their 'safety.'

A hiss brought Sabine back to the present. Right inside the door, Chopper blocked her way.

"I'm here," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I was just preparing some explosives we may need while were on the ground."

Everyone knew that Chopper was protective of Hera. The droid made it obvious every time any male species tried to flirt with her, but it never occurred to them he was this attached. Who knew they would see the day he would scold them?

"Come on, Chopper," says Zeb. "Let her through."

The astromech stubbornly faced the lasat as he manically ranted.

Hera looked over her shoulder from the pilot's seat, annoyed. "Chop, move out of the way! We don't have time for this!"

Chopper finally rolled to the pilot's side.

Sabine did not know what was going on with the little guy, but he clearly was not happy about guarding Caden. She couldn't blame him for wanting to taser the guy if he set foot on the ship again. Sadly, there was nothing they could do without Kanan or Hera finding out about their attempt.

"What's going on with Chopper?" asked Sabine.

"He's been throwing a fit about his assignment ever since he finished charging this morning," Zeb said, amused. "Make sure he doesn't kill Caden."

Kanan spun around in the co-pilot's seat, giving them stern glares. The last thing the jedi needed was to carry the dealer to the med bay with second-degree electric burns. After yesterday's meeting, he could tell Caden would not hesitate to injure, or in Chopper's case, dismantle them for simply turning on him. Before of any of them woke up, he and Hera talked about what they would do in the event of that happening. They found it was best to throw him in the hold if the dealer decided to take things too far. Of course, that depended on whether or not Caden brought Amira with him again.

"No one is going to hurt him," warned Hera. "If we find out you did, all three of you will be running the diagnostics for a month."

"Really?" Sabine was in disbelief. "You're talking about that now?"

The pilot faced the group, ignoring Kanan's worried expression. They had no time to mess around when they had Caden waiting for them at the rendezvous point. He didn't exactly say if Amira would be coming with him, but it was implied from the way he spoke over the transmission they received early this morning. It scared Hera that a random stranger managed to find the Ghost's signature so quickly.

"I thought the Ghost was completely repaired," said Kanan.

"It is," she nodded.

The jedi sighed as Chopper projected an image of a control tower. It looked no different from the one on Lothal, but the Empire's calling card was uniformity. He guessed the real thing was going to be far more dangerous on the inside than being outside those doors.

"Alright, here's the plan," he began slowly, leaning forward. "After infiltrating the tower, I will make sure the coast is clear before Hera drops you off on the roof. Wait for my signal."

"And that would be?" Hera prompted.

Kanan unclipped his comm link and held up it. "When you get my signal, it means that everything is all clear. That's where you and Chopper come in, Sabine."

"You do realize the Imperials can use that to track us, right?"

The mandalorian watched Chopper shut down the hologram. He commented that he would not shock their guest as long he would not sell him on the black market for scrap parts. That point aside, the droid understood what would happen if the Empire trapped them there while downloading the file. Even with bombs, back up would not give them enough time to avoid running into a unit of storm troopers.

"That's why we have to time it perfectly," the jedi nodded.

"I'm sure Caden won't mind jumping six feet from a crowded ship," Sabine added cheerfully.

Zeb leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed. "We haven't even started and this mission already sounds crazy."

"That's why we're the distraction," Kanan told him. "The Imperials will be too busy focusing on us they won't suspect we're there for their holodisk."

The jedi placed the small device on his hip again. This was not the first time they pulled off crazy plans but sometimes it was necessary to make sure the Empire was short one less victory. Usually, he preferred they carry out missions on their own terms. The less likely the Imperials knew of their whereabouts, the higher the chances were they could get away unscathed. Well, in theory anyway. But this mission was far from covert in its own right.

Zeb knew when Kanan was this confident about any plan; there was no point in disagreeing once everyone else decided to go along with it.

"This better work," the warrior grumbled.

Kanan looked around the small room. "So everyone agrees?"

Hera spun around in the captain's chair, smiling. All three of them looked just as eager as she was to start the mission, even if it could end badly. It was about time their family was whole again. Fulcrum may have told them to stop searching, but that did not mean Ezra did not cross their minds.

"We're all with you," she said. "After we pick up Caden, there should be enough time to go on a short op mission."

Sabine lifted a brow at that last sentence. "Where are we going to meet him?"

"Outside of Anchorhead," the twi'lek told them. "He made it clear earlier this morning that he couldn't fly out to meet us here. It turns out his steering needs repairs."

Wiping the sweat rolling down her forehead, Sabine huffed, "I thought all pilots were supposed to keep up with their ship."

"He probably has a good reason."

She did not know what to do about that girl sometimes. Her sharp sarcasm was almost as bad her own, but the difference between them was that she did not have a drawer full of explosives in her cabin. Hera mentally cringed at the image of the Ghost's engines smoking. The whole crew knew to never touch her ship without her permission first unless they wanted to spend the night sleeping on the ground. But she did not want to get Sabine's bad side.

"We barely know him!" Sabine continued. "How do you know that?"

Hera turned to the control panel and started the engines. "Because I am a pilot. It wasn't too hard to figure out talking to him."

"How do you know that?" Kanan asked, slightly defensive.

Hera turned her glared on the jedi. "I just do."

"That's not an answer," Sabine snapped.

The young woman did not understand why Hera still gave them vague answers. They were about to break into a tower overrun with storm troopers, and she could not be open with them just this once! Sure, it was meant to protect them but there had to be a limit.

Sighing, Kanan looked to the rest of the crew. "Can we focus on the mission?"

The lasat rolled his eyes. "We're listening."

The jedi massaged his forehead before speaking. He has been getting migraines ever since he contacted Ezra through the Force. They were gradually becoming more painful by the hour, which couldn't be good. His Padawan's sudden anger and fear nearly gave him a panic attack waking up this morning. Even now, Kanan could not ignore how quickly they hit him.

"When we land outside of the city, I want one of you to meet Caden on the ramp."

Hera placed a hand on his shoulder. She may not have discovered him having the panic attack, but the twi'lek knew when he did not get enough sleep. If Kanan was not in his room, then he was in the common room at the table trying to distract himself.

"Maybe you should sit this one out," she suggested worriedly.

"I can't do that, Hera."

Zeb looked between the jedi and pilot. "Are you alright?"

Kanan took a deep breath as another wave of emotions lashed out at him. Instead of anger and fear, there was now grief and caution. It was obvious Ezra was planning something through the barrier he set up around his mind. There was no question he had to go with them.

"Yes, but I don't know about Ezra," he shakily nodded. "We still need someone inside that tower."

"You can barely focus as it is. Don't tell me your migraines aren't getting worse?" the pilot said, looking to Sabine. "Do you think you can take Kanan's place?"

"The kid's already starting to give you a headache, is he?" joked Zeb.

Sabine punched the lasat's shoulder. She did not know what Kanan was sensing but it couldn't be good if Ezra was giving him headaches somehow. Whatever the Empire was doing to him had to be painful.

"It's not funny, Zeb," she snapped. "For all we know, they could be torturing Ezra!"

The lasat grimaced as the young woman yelled in his ear. He was not heartless. That thought crossed his minded last night, but it was something he did not wish on his bunkmate. The boy desevred more than that.

"I didn't mean it that way!" he defended. "At least we know the kid is alive."

"His name is not 'kid.'" Kanan jumped in, "It's Ezra."

"Not you too," grumbled Zeb. "Hera, when can we leave?"

"We're leaving now," she quietly told them.

Zeb threw both of his human crewmates narrow eyed looks. "If it keeps them from starting a mutiny, then maybe we'll survive this mission. Come on, Chopper."

Hera turned to the dashboard as the three of them left the cockpit. Kanan often developed migraines but they did not get this bad. He pushed himself to the point of exhaustion on a daily basis yet there was never one moment when something like this would force him to stay behind.

Once they were in the air, the pilot looked at him. "Kanan, it's not worth getting captured if your head is hurting this much. Why not let Sabine go undercover?"

"It's too risky letting her go in by herself," he said. "We're spread thin as it is and you have the Phantom to pilot. If we have any chance of getting that information, we need a distraction."

"But that does not mean you can just run yourself into the ground," the twi'lek says. "She can take care of herself."

Kanan straightened in his seat and glanced over at her. He knew that Hera meant well but staying behind to watch the Ghost was not an option. If the Empire didn't kill him first, then it would most likely be stress or some other health related issue.

"I'll be fine," he stubbornly insisted.

Hera refocused on the pale morning sky in front of them. The shades of peach, pink, reds and soft yellows reminded her the sunrises on Lothal and Tatoonie were different. It is hard to believe that Ezra has been living on this planet the past five years. He has always been one of the crew's toughest members but this was last place in the galaxy where she would think to look.

The pilot sighed. "Just be careful in there."

"I will," Kanan promised, standing up. "I'll be in my room preparing."

"Don't take too long," Hera says. "At the speed we're flying, we'll be outside of Anchorhead in no time."

He started walking down the hallway towards his room lost in thought. The emotions he picked up did nothing to ease his worries for his Padawan. They were too dark to belong to a jedi but Kanan could not be sure if Ezra was reacting to what was going on around him. The second worst-case scenario was his true nightmare. If that possibility was there from his first brush with the Dark Side, then who was to say it would not happen after being separated this long?

 _Those can't be Ezra's emotions!_ Kanan thought, horrified. _The kid can't turn to the Dark Side!_

Walking into his cabin, the jedi took calming breathes as he sat cross-legged on his bench. That day on the asteroid still haunted him. It was a reminder of why he needed to protect his crew and teach Ezra everything he knew.

The Force immediately found Ezra's clouded signature. It was hard to tell where it was coming from but he knew that it was on Tatoonie or somewhere around the planet. The barrier he ran into last night was blocking only half of his thoughts. Mentally sighing, Kanan noted to discipline him more when they started training again.

 _Come on, Kid,_ he nudged. _I know you can hear me._

The cautious silence on the other end was driving the jedi insane. It took all his concentration to not break the link. Whatever he was thinking about, it was something important. The silence stretched out for seven minutes before Ezra decided to answer.

 _It's really you?_

 _Yes,_ Kanan smiled. _The crew and I have been looking for you a long time. Where are you?_

Ezra sighed.

 _Ezra, we're not leaving you behind!_

Kanan did not understand what was going on. He could sense his Padawan's jumbled emotions were starting to get the best of him. If Ezra did not get a hold of himself soon, it would not take long for the Empire to turn the boy against them. As he waited for Ezra to reply, Hera's voice came over intercom.

"We just landed outside of the city," she reported.

"I'll be right there," he said.

Kanan couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Underneath all those chaotic emotions, he picked up hints of worry and protection. _So who is he trying to protect?_

Zeb and Caden were holding a staring contest when he climbed down the ladder. Neither of the men blinked, daring the other to move one toe as their wills clashed. It surprised him they didn't hear his footsteps, let alone break eye contact with each other.

"Something going on here?" he asked.

"This Womprat was getting smart, that's all," Zeb growled.

Caden was calmly staring up at the lasat knowingly. If this giant thought he could pin him down, then he had another thing coming. He may be human but his height has worked to his advantage before. "You do know farmers use those creatures as target practice, right?"

Zeb cracked his knuckles. "Would you like to see what the inside of our holding cell looks like?"

"I'll handle this, Zeb," Kanan said.

Caden watched the lasat climb up the ladder before giving the jedi a questioning look. Unlike the giant, he was surprised their leader did not try to provoke him in any manner. It was refreshing to know some people were civil enough to not resort to fist fighting.

"Sorry, Kanan." the dealer apologized, "The big guy must have hit his head rolling out of out his bunk when your pilot landed."

"Maybe but that doesn't explain why he was ready to give you a black eye."

"I had to drop Amira off at a friend's house this morning," explained Caden. "The woman is a neighbor of mine and former contact of ours."

Kanan steadied himself on the ladder as the ramp closed behind them. He knew this person could not be a black market dealer, but the possibility of him being a rebel sounded strange to him. There were people who tricked cells into thinking they were forced to go into hiding by the Empire. If this were true, it would be the first time he heard of any rebel cell calling Tatoonie home.

Once he got to the top, the jedi waited for Caden to gain his footing. "There is a rebel cell here?"

"Yes," He nodded.

"Why haven't we heard of you before?"

Caden stared straight ahead, shrugging. "You might have at one point."

The jedi dropped the subject. It would only give him one more headache to worry about later. However, it made him wonder why the rest of his crew was not there to support him unless they sent him here by himself on a simple op mission. The other alternative was that they had a disagreement if he asked Hera to pick him up.

"Why isn't the rest of your crew here?" he asked, breaking the silence.

For the first time since he boarded, Caden looked at him. His dull grey eyes told him the second theory was more likely.

"They wanted to stay behind," he quietly says.

After that, the 'rebel' clammed up as if an Imperial agent was interrogating him. They found Zeb and Sabine reviewing the Intel in the common room. She looked confused; the lasat appeared ready to fight some bucket heads.

"You okay, Sabine?" Kanan asked.

"I don't get how we're going to break into this place without setting off their alarms," she said. "Whatever weak points they once had are now covered."

"So we'll just knock a few heads together," Zeb shrugged.

He noticed Caden sat down beside the mandalorian to study the projection. It looked similar to the tower they hijacked on Lothal except for the extra guns surrounding the place. Where there were two, the Imperials now had four installed. The jedi imagined the Empire made the same upgrades on every tower like it throughout the galaxy.

"You can create a distraction by placing bombs on each nose gun."

"And disable their defense systems for the Phantom to pick us up!" Sabine excitedly finished. "Not a bad idea! But we can't be in two places at once, so how will we plant them from the tower?"

 _She's smart, but isn't thinking outside the box,_ he admitted.

Caden was too focused to notice the young woman look over at him. When he zoned out, his crew sometimes resorted to popping him on the back of the head. He did not know why they would do that instead of yell in his ear like every other normal person.

"So you expect us to go around planting bombs?!" Zeb nearly roared. "You have a death wish!"

"It could work if someone on the ground did," Kanan added, slightly surprised. "That was the plan from the beginning."

"It will."

The more this man opened his mouth, the more confused he became. Caden's calm face showed as much excitement as Vader's mask yet somehow he already was proving to be a great contact. It still left the question of how he knew Ezra, though.

 _If he does at all,_ the jedi mentally added.

"Didn't you just get on the ship?" the lasat asked.

Caden pulled his attention from the small model and looked up at him. "Don't even think of throwing me off!"

"Why would I do that?" Zeb prodded. "Wouldn't want to lose the brains of this operation."

The jedi massaged his pounding temples. _At least he shows emotion._

Kanan prepared to step in to keep the lasat from sending their guest to the med bay. None of them needed broken ribs at this point since most of it depended on Caden's information. It would just set them up for failure and recreate the same situation they were in five years ago, only this time it would be worse.

"Is there anything else we should know about?" he asked.

The dealer shrugged. "Nothing you don't know about. Once we get inside, we'll find more."

Sabine lifted a brow. "Did you mess with the information on that data chip?"

"I just decoded it," Caden glared at the young woman. "I would know if the Empire just threw together random bits of information."

He stood up as the projection shut down. There was no point in starting an argument over tampered information minutes away from a suicide mission. Looking to Kanan, he guessed the jedi was thinking the same thing.

"You alright there?" Caden asked.

"I'm fine," he said. "How did the Empire capture your partner?"

The dealer's eyes grew dull again. "I wasn't there to pull him out."

It took everything the jedi had to not punch Caden. Why was he not there when storm troopers surrounded Ezra? If they had each other's backs, why did he leave his Padawan to become the Empire's prisoner?

"And you never went back for him?!" Sabine yelled. "You did tell Kanan that he had a little girl, right?! What about her?!"

"If you want to hear the story, get it from my partner!" Caden ground out before turning to leave the room.

Kanan held out a hand to keep Zeb from yanking his shirt collar back. It made the jedi wonder just how loyal this man's crew was if they left behind one of their own. _After we complete this mission, I am going to have a talk with him._

Hera's voice came over the intercom system. "Everyone meet up in the Phantom."

"Got it!" Zeb replied.

As the four of them made their way to the airlock, the one thing that kept nagging Kanan was how they abandoned his apprentice. They were just as bad as the Empire if most of them refused to take responsibility for what pain they caused.

 _We are coming, Ezra. Just hold on a little longer._

* * *

So, what do you think of Caden so far?

I would like to thank my unofficial beta RUHLSAR000 as well as those who have been reviewing so far. Also, how is it the Jedi Order did not encourage personal relationships when they clearly imply this concept between an apprentice and master?

: I will try to update regularly.

Midnight Luna: Blueberry? In addition, please refrain from cussing.

Gracie: The crew has a two percent of chance of a mission going smoothly. Ninety-eight percent of the time, they just flop if one of them happens to go off script or if the Imperials are just starting to learn from one mistake.


	12. Chapter 12

Hera squinted against the sunlight as she carefully piloted the Ghost. The last thing they all needed was crash into a face cliff. The Imperials would have a field day looking for unforunate survivors buried under the wreckage. There were not many reports of ships crashing head on into these rock formations, but it would not be unheard of among the locals. It was hard to imagine how anyone could live in this constant heat wave.

The pilot was torn between caution and excitement just knowing they were this close to finding Ezra. She sometimes wondered how Kanan decided someone was trustworthy. Caden was not her first choice for an informant considering he dealt with criminals who would sell their own family to Jawas for a hand full of credits. Some of his customers were probably thugs who had connections to powerful groups local to the area. Then there were free lancers like themselves, people who resorted to dangerous missions to get by. If one deal ended badly, who knew what the customer would do.

Hera took a deep breath and pushed all thoughts of that happening. For all she knew, the dealer could be setting them up to throw off his own employers. _This would be not the first time someone tried to pull one over us._

What worried her more was how this mission would go with Amira aboard. A child her age would have nightmares of being chased in a ship by TIES for months. Her guardian was not only putting her in danger by just meeting with these strangers, but also risking being identified early in life. The Empire would not hestiate to orphan a child; Ezra was proof of that.

She ignored Chopper's angry complaints as they landed outside the city.

"I'm not happy that he will be aboard either," she told the droid. "For now, we'll just have to deal with it."

Chopper stopped rewiring the last minute repairs to the shield generator to grumble. He spun his rustic orange top, waving his mechanical arms. The droid suggested they leave their guest out in the middle of nowhere. Normally, his 'torture methods' were pranks he pulled on the crew but nothing this cruel.

"Remember what we said about killing him?" the pilot looked over her shoulder. "That includes leaving him out in the middle of the desert."

The droid could not believe that Hera would not listen to him. He grumbled to himself returning to the repairs.

Hera leaned back in the pilot's seat, sighing. She looked down to see the ramp light blinking. As much as the twi'lek wanted to close the bay door, she knew it would mean abandoning their informant in a hostile city. Caden was hiding something few rebels knew about at all. It did not take much to figure out what he was trying to cover up. For all she knew, he could subtly be giving them hints as to where Ezra was.

Fulcrum told her Senator Trayvis did the same thing. However, that was before they found out he was really working for the Empire. The only differences between the two were that Caden actually seemed like the kind of person who preferred honest business instead of being muscled by Imperial officials. There was a slim chance of having another repeat like that but none of them could never be too sure.

The pilot checked to the control panel again. Seeing the ramp light had gone off, she closed the bay door and turned on the engines again. The flight back to their landing spot took thirty minutes at most. She nearly passed the arched passage way after slowing down to double the coordinates. As the twi'lek uneasily landed the ship, she glanced at the radar before shutting down the engines. Hopefully, no one need to pass through this route with their podracer. They would have little time to escape any remain TIE fighters still tailing the Ghost as it is.

Chopper pulled her from her thoughts. Once again, he suggested they leave him out in the middle of the nowhere.

"Chop," Hera warned before speaking into the intercom system. "Everyone meet up in the Phantom."

She stood up and walked out of the cockpit with Chopper trailing behind her. Usually, the droid always had something to say. Shaking her head, the twi'lek wondered what was going on with him. Right after Ezra's disappearance, they all quickly noticed how surly the droid became.

 _Maybe I should have someone check him out after this,_ she thought.

Hera threw out that idea as they walked into the Phantom's cockpit. Sitting in the pilot's seat, the twi'lek pushed that thought away as she prepared for take off. That would be a good way to get Caden killed.

Zeb's heavy footsteps were the first to step through the door followed by three lighter pairs. The pilot swiveled to find them all coldly glaring at the dealer. She knew her crew had to have a good reason for wanting to tear this man limb from limb.

"What happened?" she sighed.

"Oh, nothing," snipped Sabine. "We just found out how his partner became a prisoner."

Kanan looked ready to dislocate Caden's jaw. Thankfully, he restrained himself from doing so. Something told the twi'lek that he and Zeb somehow made an unspoken agreement to take him down together.

"And when were you going to tell us?" she asked.

Caden flinched under the pilot's glare. He thought he was only dealing with only with one tough customer, not two.

Kanan barely gave the man a chance to talk. It did not take much to know he was trying to hide something from them. The jedi shared a look with Hera before she turned back to the dashboard in the tense silence that followed.

"He agreed to tell us more about it once when have the information," he commented.

"Who said I would?" the dealer protested. "When I promised to help you, that was out of the deal."

Hera could not keep Zeb from getting in the man's face looking over shoulder. She did not know what this man told them, but it sounded like something that would make her consider throwing him out the air lock when she found out.

"Now detaching," she informed them.

Caden steadied himself as the small ship roughly shook. Judging from the rusty separation, the ship had to at least be ten years old. _Good thing I am not completely out of practice._

"What's wrong, mate?" Zeb grinned. "Weak stomach?"

He straightened up and coolly met the lasat's eyes. They already thought he was a rat for not being there to help his friend. If he were able to change the outcome, maybe Amira would not be crying for her father.

"My name is Caden," he told them. "Can we just go over the changes to the plan?"

Kanan wanted to formally introduce him to the rest of the crew, but he never thought it would be this hostile. Sighing, the jedi opened his mouth to explain before being interrupted.

"It looks like we are going to switch things up," he admitted.

Hera never took her eyes off the skyline as she piloted the Phantom east. "Does this have to do with what you learned?"

"In a way," Kanan nodded.

Caden could feel the pilot staring at him out one corner of her eye. He could not shake the feeling that this twi'lek would make sure he would not meet his future grandchildren. Twi'lek were rarely violent. Even though he would be safe until the mission was through, he could not read this species considering what they were well-known for during the golden years of the Republic.

Sighing, the dealer shot Kanan an semi-impatient glare. "We all know about their upgrades."

The jedi stared at their employer. He did not know what was going on but that information was clearly personal.

"Instead of having Hera drop you off on the high rise, you will wait here until the bombs deonate," he continued uneasily. "Caden and I will infiltrate the tower to avoid early detection."

Sabine could not believe her ears. "Why not one of us?"

Kanan wished someone from his crew could go in with him. It would make everything so much easier if they could leave their employer in the Phantom but that idea did not sit well with him. They would not be on this 'insane' mission without the Intel he gave them.

"You and Chopper are going to guard Caden as planned," the jedi told her. "That will not happen if we are trapped on the bottom level or in the lift."

She shook her head as those words sunk in. This was not their first time breaking into a high security facility without being caught on purpose. They always managed to escape units of storm troopers and, occassionally, some inquistors. Then again, those buildings were being guarded by bucket heads who were slacking off at their posts.

"Where does that leave us?" Zeb asked.

"We will stand guard outside of the communication room," answered Kanan. "That should give us five minutes to get the information before the Imperials reach us."

Caden suddenly felt bad for any storm trooper that would cross their path. He could be ruthless when he wanted to be but this guy was probably too smart for his own good sometimes. Chances were someone would spot two men stripped of their uniforms during patrol.

"They would spot us four yards away if we landed outside the control tower," the dealer spoke up.

Kanan crossed his arms, smirking. "I have the perfect place."

Hera looked over shoulder at the jedi before refocusing on the sky in front of her. "Where do you have in mind?"

"There is a outpost six miles west of the communication tower," he said. "Not only could we get extra Intel, but I also heard its a popular rest stop for Imperials."

"Are you sure you want to go there?" the pilot told him. "You know you won't be welcome there than anywhere else on this planet."

"It depends on where you go really," Caden told her.

"We'll keep that in mind," Hera commented, piloting west.

They usually avoided places popular with the Imperials since the Empire most likely knew what they all looked like now, especially Sabine. It was hard to tell if Vader got a good look at her even though she had her helmet on. Then again, most rebel cells were not deseparate to find a missing crew member.

The jedi ignored the stares he was getting from the rest of the crew. "It is the only place I could find on the holocron."

"I hope you know what you are doing," muttered Hera.

The dealer stared at Kanan as if he were a Nerf. 'Bantha' or 'Nerf Herder' could hardly describe what this man was suggesting they do. Besides, he always found the second term insulting on more than one level. He has been on risky missions where he had to go undercover in the black market. The most dangerous had to be was gaining the trust of the Hutts for Intel to finish a rescuse mission months before everything fell apart.

"Are all his plans like this?" Caden asked.

"They get worse," Zeb told him.

"All the time," added Sabine.

Kanan cleared his throat. "I am standing right here."

They both shrugged as the rest stop came into view. Just as their crew mates were about to answer Kanan's commentary, Hera landed a yard from the small outpost. Whatever either of them wanted to say, it would have to wait.

Both men watched the Phantom take off north as they stepped into the desert suns. A part of him was relieved to set foot on the ground. Maybe it was because the crew wanted to skin him alive for bringing up important news on short notice.

The mechanic's eyes trailed the ship's movement until it disappeared in the distance. When there no signs of TIEs taking off after them, they both started towards the outpost. He had an idea how Twi'lek became some of the best pilots in the galaxy but there are a few questions he would be crazy to ask.

"Why did you name that shuttle the 'Phantom?'"

Kanan wiped the sweat pouring down his face as he looked over at the dealer. They have not taken twenty steps and still the heat was starting to get to him. If the human element of this mission did not kill any of them, then these high temperatures most likely would.

"Our pilot thought it fit the name of the main ship," Kanan admitted. "The first shuttle met an unfortunate accident."

The mechanic thoughtfully shielded his eyes and stared up at the empty sky. Despite the heat, it really was a beautiful day if someone ignored the threat of being ambushed by smugglers or Imperial probe droids.

"Her name is Hera, right?" he guessed.

Kanan whirled around and felt his fist connect with the dealer's jaw. He did not know how Caden figured out their pilot's name but he was not going to risk the safety of his crew. Maybe it was better to leave him here after they got what they needed.

"Who you told her name?!" the jedi demanded.

Caden slowly stood up rubbing his jaw, glaring. Usually his reflexes took over seconds before someone attacked him, but he has been finding himself slipping over the last few months. It was miracle he and his partner managed to stay out of the Empire's crosshairs up until now.

"Was that really necessary?" he winced.

Kanan crossed his arms. "Explain how you know about my crew."

They both started towards the small outpost again in silence. Whoever his partner was had to be someone who knew or heard of them in passing. Then again, this man did work in the black market. He could have overheard someone talking about their crew at a cantina or from one of his own customers as they were settling a deal.

The dealer stared straight ahead as they passed parked freighters and TIEs. There were four on the edge of the outpost. If they were able to get two uniforms without drawing attention to themselves, then hijacking the pilots' TIEs would be no trouble at all.

"Your 'missing friend' told me."

Caden stopped to leaned aganist three crates stacked outside of the make-shift bar. He knew at some point he would have tell them the truth but not at the cost of his friend's privacy. If they were still willing to listen after saving his partner, then the least he could do was have the guy's back.

"Did you get his full name?" Kanan asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course," The dealer quietly scoffed and turned his stone grey eyes on Kanan. "No one joins my crew unless they do."

Caden watched three smugglers walk past them out of the corner of his eye before pushing off the boxes. The female of the group could be his neighbor's sister from just one glance. He knew some of his customers were off-world tourists who either came to this planet to make a hand full of credits or for a safe haven.

Kanan followed the dealer's line of sight and turned glared at him in return. "You know her, too?"

"That group could be one of my many customers," he shrugged.

Both men walked into the bar as they both dropped that subject. Caden could see a few of his customers sitting in the back with drinks in hand and talking to their crewmates. There were groups of off-duty storm troopers using the few minutes they had to relax before having to fly back to the location they were stationed at. Looking around, the dealer hoped neither side would be interested in them.

They sat two stools down from three Rodians and a tan Zabrak. Caden thought about asking one of them when it crossed his mind that Kanan would call attention to the fact neither of them had any clue how this mission would end. Most guys expected their customers to have some idea of the outcome.

The bar tender set a glass of whisky on front of the Zabrak and walked over to them. She studied both of them for a minute before eyeing Kanan. He asked Hera about her people a few years after they started travelling together and what he learned surprised him. If what the pilot said is correct, then this twi'lek was most likely from Letha.

"Would you like anything?" the woman asked.

Caden waved off the offer as he looked between his 'friend' and the red skinned twi'lek. If he did not know any better, the woman was showing way too much interest in this client. Then again, some women have acted the same way around around him only to throw some kind of drink in his face. However, that depended on the need to hide during or after a mission.

"We are waiting for a friend," he told the twi'lek. "It's probably best if we were sober when he shows up."

Kanan shot him the stink eye. "What happens when he decides to blow us off?"

The dealer sighed and shrugged. "Then he's missing good company."

The bar tender smirked as if she caught on to their cover up. On a planet like this, it would not surprise either of them if the servers and businessmen were familiar with behavior related to the black market.

"Too bad," she muttered. "What would you like?"

"We'll take two cups of water," Kanan ordered.

The Lethan gave them strange looks before disappearing through a door on the far side of the room. For all they knew, it could be breakroom. After all, no one came to a bar for water.

"How did he meet your crew?" the jedi asked quietly.

Caden scanned the crowd for any troopers returning to their posts. The element of surprise would disappear once someone discovers two grown men laying out in their underwear under the hot suns. Hopefully, whoever these two would be would not be much trouble.

"We normally call him Ridge," the dealer corrected.

Kanan narrowed his eyes. "How did 'Ridge' meet your crew then?"

This was the closest Caden has ever to come to revealing personal imformation about one of his own comrades but it was necessary if he wanted to get his partner back. Sighing, the dealer stared down at his boots. _Ridge is going to kill me for passing this on._

"He got separated from his crew on Lothal during an ambush," he admitted. "The Empire was expecting them to refuel there since they were local to that system. Ridge begged us for passage off that planet after living there for a year."

Kanan felt sick to his stomach remembering that day. There were too many TIEs on their tails to turn back without the Ghost taking heavy damage. The risk of capture became too high after they fell for the trap and the ship's shields started failing. The jedi let those words sink in as he tried, and failed, to keep every guilty thought he has had since then torment him.

 _Does Ezra really think we abandoned him?_ he wondered sadly. _Does he blame us for leaving him alone?_

Caden stared at the jedi as the silence filled the gap between them. Whatever he was trying to make up for obviously refused to stay in the past. The dealer looked over his shoulder and started scanning the noisy room for two targets but none of the storm troopers he could see were not that eager to return to their posts anytime soon.

The Lethan twi'lek walked out of what they thought was the break room and took over serving drinks for her co-worker. Only when she sat two glasses in front did the woman zero in on them. It was scary to think someone like that could point out two uncover rebels in a room full of criminals. Then again, someone could do just that if they were observant enough.

"Sorry about the wait," she apologized. "We get so many shady characters in here its hard to tell if someone is safe or not."

"Are you from this system?" Kanan wandered.

He asked Hera about her species not long after they met on Gorse. Her peoples' skin tones ranged from green to purple but there were also rarer genetic variations. Red was one these colors but the meaning escaped him. The pilot explained that twi'lek could tell about one another's personality just from looking at their skin color. In theory, anyways.

"I was raised on Naboo," The woman told them. "When the Empire started making itself well-known there, a smuggler offered safe passage here after it came up over dinner."

Caden cocked a brow and slowly nodded. "What was the guy trying to sell?"

The twi'lek narrowed her eyes. "He was an arms dealer."

If Kanan did not know any better, he would guess this woman was one of his former 'customers.' Something told him if they did not get some information soon then Caden was going to have his nose broken by the female bartender.

The dealer held up his hands in slight surrender. "I was just trying to figure out if he was someone we worked with before."

"Is that so?" the woman muttered.

Kanan hung his head, sighing. No only was this was guy a 'wamp rat,' as Zeb put it so politely, but also a failing flirt.

"Sorry for my friend here," he spoke up. "Caden has a weak spot for beautiful women."

The dealer glared at him out the corner of his eye at those words. Between scanning the room for unsuspecting troopers and giving Kanan the evil eye, it was becoming difficult to focus. If they wanted to get two suits, it involved less flirty banter and paying more attention to their surroundings. He suspected this guy was intentionally trying to annoy him.

"What are you two smuggling?" the twi'lek asked.

Caden turned around to face the bar tender. However, he barely got the chance to speak up.

"How do you know we are smugglers?" Kanan shot back.

"Live on this planet long enough and you just know with some people," the woman smiled. "My name is Alicia, by the way."

 _Hopefully that's all she thinks we are,_ the jedi thought uneasily. _Scratch that, just me._

Even if Alicia saw past the pile of Bantha dung they were slowly piling up and decided to keep quiet about it, having outsiders learn about their secret mission would only complicate things very quickly. Chances were she would inform the 'proper authorities' when they left. The only other bar tender that Kanan and the crew has ever come close to trusting was Old Jho. Many people say after the seige of Lothal, he moved to Tatoonie to escape Imperial suspcion. If not this planet, then it had to be some other desert world.

Caden cocked a brow watching two men walking out of the cantina. They seemed distracted from their body language. Whatever their conversation was about, it looked interesting.

"I'm Caden," the dealer told her. "This love-struck oaf is Greg."

He could only think of Gregor as the fake name bounced around inside his head. Even now, Kanan found fighting along side clones again difficult. When Ashoka asked them to recruit her then unknown friend, the jedi never expected he would see another clone, let alone save one.

"I can speak for myself you know," Kanan says.

"I know, but you were too dazzled by our bar tender to give up one syllbal about yourself," Caden shrugged. "Thankfully, that won't be a problem."

The jedi lifted a brow. "Give him a few more minutes."

"I have told you this so many times," the dealer snipped. "If a cilent does not meet us at a rendezvous point, then their cargo is free game - organic or not."

Kanan knew this man was trying to annoy him for appearing interested in another twi'lek. It was unnerving how observant this smuggler was. The only other person he imagined acting this way was Lando Calrissian. Caden, no doubt, was about as slimy as the smooth-talking business man.

The jedi stood up as the dealer gestured pointed to towards the door. Hopefully, the two storm troopers they saw leaving were still in the dock yard outside the cantina. This small op mission would been for nothing if they missed their last chance to infiltrate the base. There was a small time frame to find his missing apprentice since the Empire has been looking for him for so long.

"See you two later," Alicia told them. "I feel bad for the poor smuck who missed out on a great business deal."

"So do I," Caden agreed.

The bar tender crossed her arms as they both turned to leave. There was a hint of curiousity in her waiting eyes. Even if they gave this woman a decent cover story, it would not keep her from insisting to tell what they were 'smuggling' to Tatoonie.

"The customer we were supposed to meet is a Bantha breeder," the dealer shrugged. "It is hard to keep up with the amount of customers we get on a daliy basis."

Kanan lifted a brow as his 'partner' silently challenged him to use any animal based insult. The only thing he could do was play along until they were outside. Hopefully, those troopers have not left for their posts just yet.

"Do you mean nerf herder?" the jedi corrected.

Caden studied him in slight confusion before turning to leave. It was hard to tell if the remark referred to the fact the 'cargo' they were 'carrying' was going to be released out into the wild or an intentional insult.

"I am sure he was a Bantha breeder," he countered. "Let's get back to the city before the others start thinking we wandered off into desert."

Alicia just shook her head as they left the bar. The bar tender look somewhat disappointed for them, but neither could not shake the feeling it was because they were both fools. It was something Caden was not going to bring up after they rescued his partner.

The docking yard was empty when they walked out. It was supposed to be since most of the pilots were inside the bar taking a break from the sun. For all either of them knew, someone could ambush them leaving their ship.

"Watch your mouth next time," Caden snapped.

Kanan crossed his arms as they walked around parked freighters and TIE fighters. The dealer should have known was setting himself up for that come back, but some people catch on he guessed. Even so, it made him wonder why the dealer was acting as if he were an stiff necked Jedi Master.

"What was that about?" he shot back.

"You were flirting a little too much," Caden began.

The jedi stared at him in disbelief. One minute he was a rebel bent on saving his 'partner,' and the next a smuggler who apparently had a strange obession with relationships. A part of him hoped this guy was telling the truth about who he was.

"She sounded like someone who knew this area," Kanan quietly argued.

Caden cocked a brow. "You do realize that I am also native to this planet, right?"

"This is the first time I met a smuggler with a conscience, especially one who grew up on the streets."

The dealer grimly smiled. "So you figured it out."

Kanan still could no understand why Ezra would trust someone like Caden. He always thought, or liked believe, that the boy would stick it out until they found him somewhere on Lothal. But that fantasy was shattered months after they were forced to leave him behind. They were unable to return after the Imperial blockade locked down the entire city. Those same destroyers could still be hovering over the planet now.

"Why did you let our friend join your crew in the first place?" the jedi wondered.

Caden stared straight ahead deep in thought. The silence lasted for eight minutes as they weaved through the shipyard. The dealer knew he had to tell them if they ever were to retrieve his business partner's location.

"Anyone who does is required to give us their full name," he explained. "Their true name."

"Are you sure you don't belong to a rebel cell?" Kanan asked.

Caden shot him a look that could best an Loth Cat had they been in a staring contest. It was scary to think about, honestly. Those creatures could claw a person's eyes out if someone provoked them enough. Thankfully, this planet was the not the right environment for those small animals.

The sound of someone throwing up interrupted them rounding the side of a docked freighter. Both men looked at each other before backing into the shadow cast by the large ship. Neither of them needed to peek around the corner to know that the poor man probably had some bad food or the stomach to keep down two shots of whisky. It would probably be easy to catch these two off guard seeing the sick trooper's friend was too busy keeping him from falling face first into his own vomit.

Kanan pointed to the right as more retching reached their ears. A TIE fighter was docked next to the freighter casting enough shade to hide one person in case one of them decided to open fire. However, this was somewhat unlikely since this trooper had a heart.

The dealer darted into the wing's shadow before peeking around the wing. The first man was done throwing up what was left of his lunch seeing he was dry heaving. With any luck, these two would not sense them hiding here.

One of the men glanced up as he slowly took off his helmet. His disgust lasted only for a minute before the jedi stunned the trooper. As the man fell sideways, and away from the puddle of vomit, the trooper's comrade was hit in the side with two shots.

Caden managed to catch the unconscious man closest to him before dragging the trooper behind the wing. It did not take long to put on the armor. The sympathy he had earlier for the storm troopers that crossed their paths returned as they leaned them against the side of freighter. No man should have to be publicly humaliated like this.

"Poor smucks," he commented.

Kanan put on the helmet to his own disguise. "I thought smugglers had no respect for storm troopers."

"It does not matter if the person is an Imperial or civilian," the dealer defended. "No man should be found out in the desert in his undershirt."

The jedi shook his head climbing into the TIE fighter. He thought back to the first official meeting on the Ghost. Then, the smuggler gave the impression of being a serious businessman. A part of him wondered if Caden knew Lando somehow.

"Remember to dismantle the tracking device," Kanan reminded. "It's the -"

Caden's voice crackled over the comm system. "Way ahead of you."

The jedi sighed as they flew south to the control tower. Hopefully no one would notice two fighters sitting out in open on the small land field the space had, but that was unlikely considering they breaking into a communications tower. It would make more sense if the location was an air base. On the bright side, what he had planned would cause enough confusion that will buy them four minutes. That is, if neither of them blew each other up on the way there.

As much as he trusted this guy to have his back, there was something that was bugging him. The fact he could fly an TIE fighter without crashing told him Hera could be right about one thing. The fleet has been looking for another pilot to run missions they were unable to get to. However, some of them were time and detail sensitive. Who knows what would happen if they let the wrong person join?

"Just keep your eyes open for any in-coming TIEs," he reminded. "By the time we reach the base, there is a chance the Empire will know about our little stunt back there."

He could hear the small chuckle in Caden's voice over the comm system. If Kanan did not know any better, this dealer could have been Zeb's long lost cousin. They both had a dry sense of humor that was hard to miss.

"'Little stunt?'" the dealer retorted. "Kanan, we humiliated two of the Empire's foot soldiers and stole their only means of transport."

"I am sure their pride will recover somehow."

The jedi shook his head as they approached the communication tower. The small docking area had two transports. These extra ships were what they needed to create the distraction. There were two anti-ship guns positioned at southern and eastern corners of this landing, but that could be taken care of. Thanks to Sabine, they had enough bombs to pull it off with the small amount of time they had.

Kanan handed the dealer after planting the first two on the stolen TIEs. Hopefully, the blast would the Imperials' last option of escape when they got the information they needed. If not, then they were all in trouble. He could tell Caden understood this as well when he agreed to help them out.

"Keep a low profile," he warned. "The last thing my crew needs is to have two more people captured."

Caden shook his head. There was a reason why he always thought of storm troopers as nothing more than organic battle droids. These guys were infamous for having terrible aim when they ordered to gun down wanted 'fugitives.' Whether if it was their training or the helmets, no one would know seeing most of the people they chased escaped or killed them after lining up.

"Stop treating me like a rookie," he snipped. "This is not my first mission, you know."

Kanan looked around to see if anyone noticed the strange activity before deciding no one would catch on until it was too late. The Empire has been proving they were smarter than the public thought. The daily patrols in the cities were only there to discourage the people from protesting, especially on planets with Tatooine's reputation. He would not be surprised to learn the smugglers and bounty hunters here hated the Empire's interference.

After planting two of the devices on the nose guns, the jedi quickly placed the last one on a black box. From what the label read, it was a shipment of prototype weapons they manufactured somewhere else. An Imperial commander could have made a deal with a weapons dealer to smuggle these under his superiors' noses.

 _They will not be using these anytime soon._

It did not take long to find a trooper messing with the western nose gun. He had no clue if that person was Caden or one of the men they soon be stranding out on these plains. Walking over, it crossed his mind someone could have caught already."

"What are you doing?" he snipped.

The trooper looked up as he slowly reached for the blaster at his feet. He did not need to the man's face to know it was partner for this part of the mission.

"The commander ordered maintence on all nose guns a few hours ago," Caden told him. "He has been paranoid lately."

"Know what you mean," Kanan 'agreed.' "Old man has been pretty snippy lately."

Caden planted the explosive on the nose gun and stood up to follow the the jedi. He would not be surprised if someone stopped them for suspicious behavior. The 'authorized maintence' would only make the commanding officer here wonder why two of his men were dismantling their weapons. For now, the troopers were oblivious to what was going to happen next.

They nodded at two passing storm troopers and lowered their blasters. They were approaching the door when it was clear the guard was actually pay attention to who was going in and out.

"Did anyone notice?" Kanan whispered.

The dealer shook his head as he grinned underneath the helmet. He wondered how the Imperials were going to get themselves out of this mess after they got the information they came for.

"They will not know what happened," the man laughed quietly.

"Let's hope they find out at the last minute," the jedi sighed.

Caden held back another laugh thinking about what his 'partner' meant. When these men finally figured out what was going on, it would be too late to disarm the explosives. Besides, they would be too busy trying to repair their systems to call reinforcements.

"By the end of this op, the Empire will learn that Karma is a cruel mistress," he murmured.

"This is not an assault mission," reminded Kanan.

The dealer shrugged as they got closer to front door. Unforunately, the commanding officer of the unit patroling the tower grounds barely gave him time to answer.

"Halt!" the man barked. "Show me your identification."

Both men held up the cards they took at the cantina. If an soft entry failed, they would have no choice but to go in shooting. It would draw attention to them and, later on, to rest of the crew. Thankfully, the officer never caught on that the real owners were probably being escorted to Anchorhead in handy down clothes.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: Rebels.

While copying and pasting this installment to Word Pad from Word Processor, I accidentally pasted over this chapter. Hopefully, this will live up to the original.


	13. Chapter 13

Kanan and Caden passed three storm troopers leaving the building. No one stopped them as they started down the hallway, but somehow it still felt like a trap. It would not surprise the jedi if an ISP agent waited around the corner with a unit of troopers ready open fire on them. What made this more nerve-wracking than the last time was how these men were actually paying attention to their surroundings instead of minding their own business.

The only place last night's projection offered for a escape was the roof. Then again, it's not like they had a choice in choosing their route. The mission was to get in and out before anyone caught them. Hopefully, the Imperials did not assign guards outside the door.

A sudden headache nearly brought him to his knees. _What are they doing to you kid?_

Kanan could hear pairs of footsteps approaching as he blinked. The fluorescent lighting only made his pounding head worse cracking his eyes open. Through their training bond, he could feel his student's mixed emotions to some extent and saw flashes of injuries they would have to deal with.

 _It has to be this helmet,_ Kanan decided.

"Are you injured?" someone asked.

Another man threw one of his arms around their shoulder. The jedi resisted pulling away from whoever it was. It turns out he was the one who was jeopardizing this mission. These troopers would not be standing in front of them now ready to shoot or charge outside expecting to meet a group of rebels.

"It's just heat stroke," Caden told them. "I am taking him to the med bay now."

Kanan looked up and slowly nodded. "I transferred here from Coruscant."

The troopers were either frowning or smirking under their helmets. From their body language, the jedi was leaning more towards amused seeing both men relax after hearing this poor excuse. Usually, he could come up with more believable reasons as to why he nearly passed out but today just was not his day.

"It takes awhile to get used to," one of the men lightly shrugged. "My superior never told me it would be this hot either."

The trooper's partner looked over at him. "There is not a day where this guy whines about missing the core worlds."

"I'm sure the commander will find some other core planet," Kanan said.

The trooper shook his head. "I tried, but none of my requests went through."

Kanan winced as his shoulder muscle was pulled out of place. He glared at the mechanic, knowing Caden could not see it. Either that was his way of getting his own comrades' attention or a reflex he had yet to control.

"Do you want to reach the med bay or not?" snapped Caden.

Caden lurched forward down the hall until they rounded the left corner. The mechanic dropped Kanan's arm before following him in silence. Whenever he went over a building's blueprints, the last place he would look for was the med bay. Those cold rooms always creeped him out.

"The elevator should be at the end of this hall," he said, breaking the silence.

The jedi stopped massaging his shoulder to look over at him. "Good to know, but was dislocating my shoulder necessary?"

"Sorry, force of habit," Caden sighed. "Do you think it fooled those troopers?"

It was Kanan's turn to sigh. Those two men seemed convinced that he transferred from Coruscant but the jedi would not count on it. No matter how clueless they acted, it was a matter of time for one of them to mention a new recruit.

"All the more reason to get to the top floor," he told the mechanic.

"In other words, get your butt into gear."

The quiet hallway had both men looking to see if anyone decided. Neither of them knew if that was good or bad thing that they were being ignored. The Imperials could have already figured out that they were inside and were waiting to catch them on the top floor the minute they stepped off this elevator.

Caden took a steady breath as the doors closed and the lift shot up. Looking around the small space, he was disappointed that the Empire still has not installed railing for its passengers. _They remember to upgrade their security and defenses yet not install railing inside their lifts._

Kanan glanced over at him. "You okay?"

Caden adjusted his grip on the blaster. Unlike his partner, he knew better than to let his personal fears eat him up inside. Worrying wasted energy that could be used for activities such as running diagnostics and adjusting the steering.

"It's been awhile since I took part in something like this," the mechanic slightly shuttered.

The jedi was tempted to take off his helmet so they could talk without their voices being muffled. "So you admit it?"

"Something like that."

The doors slid open to another quiet hallway. They both looked at each other before walking towards the control room. It did not make sense why the Imperials would leave the roof this vulnerable unless it was a trap. When Caden stopped in front of an unmarked door, he nudged the mechanic.

Caden turned to him, annoyed. "This was your idea, remember?"

"I know that, but is it a little odd that there are no guards up here?"

The mechanic gritted teeth as he realized the same thing. Despite all his planning skills and the information he gathered, it was hard to believe the Empire still created these kinds of traps. All they had to do was flood a city with heavy reinforcements to trap one rebel cell.

"Let's get out of these uniforms and download that information," Caden muttered.

Kanan stopped the mechanic from stepping into the room. For all they knew, there could be a unit of storm troopers waiting for them.

"We need these disguises to get into that room!" he quietly hissed.

Caden shrugged his hand off and walked into the small room. No one was inside to the jedi's relief, but there were a lot of uniforms hanging on racks with two rows of shelves above them. The first held helmets; the bottom, confiscated items or gear belonging to the uniform. It took a minute for Kanan to realize that they were in a dressing room.

"We need to dress out of these uniforms to escape anyways," the mechanic told him.

"The mission is not over yet."

Caden glared. "We both know these uniforms will not hide our identities forever."

"And a good way for us to get caught," Kanan huffed, taking off his helmet. "Stick to the plan."

The mechanic set his own on the top shelf and laid the blaster on the bench nearby. Now that he was able to breath without wheezing, thinking about the next phase was much easier. Of course, his client would not be thrilled about it once he found what he wanted to do. Chances were the entire crew would abandon him in the middle of nowhere to become prey for any hungry animal.

It took five minutes for Caden to get out the uniform. Growing up on this planet has taught him to be prepared when you plan on traveling to any lone location. Not only were there groups of smugglers and sand-dwelling animals, but some people got lost if they did not know where they were going. He would never understand how they survived inside these suits. Sighing, he stood up and followed Kanan out the door.

The hallway was still empty yet somehow this did not help ease either mans' nerves. By now, the Imperials would be getting suspicious about what was going on. When they reached the door, Caden knelt in front of the panel.

"Can you open it?" Kanan asked.

"I can but you got to let me think."

The jedi lowered his voice. "Storm troopers could step off that lift any minute!"

Caden glared at the wall as he reached for his hacking device. "Must I remind you for the second time this was your plan?"

"And I would like to remind you that we're short on time," Kanan countered.

Not only was this man smart, but he also had a mouth. It was easy to imagine Ezra getting along with him considering they both picked up similar skill sets from the streets. He sometimes forget his apprentice grew up there instead of with a roof over his head.

"Kanan, chill," Caden told him. "I already got it opened."

The mechanic stood up, cracking his neck. He had no idea why Kanan insisted on wearing that stiff uniform when they were going to abandon it somewhere afterwards. It would only attract unwanted attention.

Walking into the room, Caden took a breath. _And to think Ridge is stubborn!_

The jedi checked the hallway again before reaching for his comm. "Spectre One to Spectre Two; everything is safe."

Hera's voice came over the channel. "Copy that, Spectre One. Is Caden safe?"

"He's fine," Kanan muttered. "How long until the distraction?"

"We will be there shortly."

The silence that followed had the jedi on edge. Storm troopers could step off that lift any minute to either execute or take both of them into custody. He did not know Caden very well, but it was obvious what the Empire would have him do. If the Imperials could not convince the mechanic to join them, they would resort to other methods to get the information.

A few minutes passed before explosions went off outside. Kanan could faintly hear shocked screams and bodies hitting the balcony floor over the chaos. Hopefully, Hera would be able to take care of the remaining TIEs.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: Rebels.

Behind chapter five, this installment is the second most difficult to write. Do you think this mission will end on a similar note when they were on Lothal? Or far worse?


	14. Chapter 14

Zeb watched the dealer follow Kanan out of the Phantom. He wanted nothing more than to break that guy's nose for leaving behind his friend. They may have had their disagreements, but Ezra deserved better than being used as bait for the Empire. If it was not for Kanan's intrusion, that piece of scum would have been thrown off the ship mid-flight. The last smuggler they trusted tried to split them up transporting a pig that basically lived underground eating rocks.

Even so, the Lasat had to admit that they would not have the chance of finding their missing crew mate without Caden's help. The whole crew would still be stumbling in the dark about where to look next. They still were, in a way. The first few months were nightmares. He used to think watching Lasan burn as his own people were being slaughtered was the very definition of the word, but that all changed when they were forced off Lothal. It was now the ringing silence that filled the cabin he and the Loth Rat shared during those few months on the Ghost.

He curled his hands around his bo-staff as the Phantom flew north. Everyone might have been better off leaving Caden behind and sending someone else as Kanan's back up. It would have relieved some of his worries.

"Are we just letting him go off with Kanan?" the Lasat demanded. "For all we know, he could leave him out there in the middle of nowhere!"

Sabine placed one hand on her hip. While she did not expect their guest to sell Kanan out to a passing caravan right away, it made her wonder why this man was willing to help them steal this information in the first place. They were now infamous Imperial fugitives that would have any cartel looking for a pay day.

"Caden has not done anything to prove he would turn us in so far," Sabine reasoned. "My guess is there is something in it for him."

"How do you know that?" Zeb scowled. "Did you two bond over the comm link behind our backs?"

The young woman narrowed her eyes. None of them were happy to learn the person they were working with could do the same to them all, but beating the guy to a pulp would not help anyone at this point.

"No one who works in the black market would give up the information we have that easily," she explained. "I met plenty of people like him as a bounty hunter. Of course, they only did that to avoid being killed."

Chopper waved his mechanical arms in disbelief. The first crew he traveled with could have cared less about whether or not he was turned to scrap metal if a mission somehow went wrong. Even after his repairs were completed, Hera knew that he would be scarred as long as he functioned. The droid would not let that happen again!

Hera focused on the dry landscape in front of them. There were very few canyons within a mile radius to take cover until they received word everything was clear.

According to Caden, routinely patrolled every few hours. There were also Jawa caravans, quite a few bounty hunters and some smugglers who risked traveling across this waste land. He was not very optimistic they would avoid the detection of the Empire long enough to slip away unnoticed.

"I am just glad we finally found a lead," the pilot chimed in. "Never thought to look on this planet, though."

Sabine could not shake the feeling Hera was hiding something from them again. Before they picked up the smuggler outside of Anchorhead, she decided to eat breakfast early. The young woman crossed her arms realizing now they were going to wait near the mouth of a canyon once more. She heard her talking to someone who sounded like Caden about a safe waiting spot eavesdropping.

"Are we supposed to be find a hiding spot?" she questioned. "All we are doing is flying around."

"Unfortunately, Tatooine is not the kind of planet to find cover outside of the cities and settlements so easily." Hera explained, "Caden explained to me this planet was not always this hot."

Sabine knew this planet was a death trap. It might as well be Mustafar with this extreme environment. This environment was dangerous in its own right considering a person could die of anything here. With heat stroke being the most common cause of death, some disappearances went unexplained for years. Many Mandalorians have told her growing up to avoid this system unless you know what kind of business you plan on carrying out.

"Everyone knows why this rock is nothing but desert now," Zeb spoke up. "It is a miracle anything can survive in this heat."

The Twi'lek landed the Phantom in the shadow of a cliff. The only thing they could do was wait for Kanan to give the signal. Under normal circumstances, she would ignore their contact's advice to take cover at the mouth of a canyon. Ryloth was no different from Tatooine in some ways, but the hemisphere she grew up in was never this unforgiving. Whether it was the rough terrain or resilient wild life that brought her home world to mind, she could never tell.

"I can understand how," she disagreed.

"That still does not explain why we are sitting out in the open," Sabine demanded. "Those TIEs could ambush us from above."

Hera looked over her shoulder at the Mandalorian. She has not seen the young woman this upset since the day they were forced to leave Ezra behind. Years of traveling the galaxy has taught her that Mandalorians valued family and tradition as much as Togruta do. The few encounters she had with them were always violent space battles as their run in with the Protectors has proven.

"This is the closest canyon I saw on the map," she admitted. "If there were other places we could have landed, we would not have to fly out this far."

"What if we do not make it there in time?" the young woman continued. "Hera, you know after what happened last time why we cannot fail this mission."

The pilot glanced over her shoulder at the artist. She did not need to be Force-Sensitive to hear Sabine's thoughts. None of them wanted to leave another friend behind.

"None of us want to lose another team member," she says. "Kanan will not let that happen to either of them."

"How do you know it won't happen again?" Sabine continued. "You know how Kanan's plans go."

Hera's heart dropped seeing both of her crew mate's dejected faces as memories of the mission hit her with full force again. At first, the Twi'lek did not know how to handle the possibility of Ezra being an Imperial prisoner or worse. She honestly did not know which was better if they had to choose between either of those options.

"We got to have faith the same thing will not happen," she told them. "Kanan and I have never given up on Ezra; you three should not, either."

The three of them stared at her in silence. There were days where the promise to find their missing friend sometimes became a mantra. None of them were able to respond to the pilot's words as the communication system crackled to life.

"Spectre One to Phantom; everything is safe." Kanan reported.

"Copy that, Spectre One." Hera said, "Is Caden safe?"

She started up the engines waiting for his answer. By the time they were in the air, the Twi'lek found herself praying under her breath in her native tongue that nothing bad happened. The Empire was starting to catch up with the Rebellion faster than they could keep up sometimes. It crossed her mind the Imperials were jamming their signal inside the building. There was no way they could hack into their systems from the Phantom. It would be so much easier if they were on the Ghost.

"Spectre One, do you read?" the pilot repeated. "Spectre One?"

Sabine nervously looked to her crew mates. The artist knew this would happen. They infiltrated that TIE base with the hope of finding Ezra or, at the very least, information where they were holding him. While the four of them were running around trying to avoid storm troopers, it occurred to her afterwards the commander informed other ranking officers of the attack.

 _Just one more reason to avoid Tatooine,_ she thought.

"You think they know we are here?" the young woman asked.

"We did attack their base," admitted Zeb. "Those bucket heads have to be ready for anything by now."

This possibility worried Hera even more. If it was a trap, then it was too late for them to pull out now. The Twilek did not know if Caden had a part in this but she was not letting another stranger hurt her family again. Now that she thought about it, that name sounded familiar. There was someone with that name who piloted for another rebel cell that was in operation long before they became involved with the Alliance. No one knew why they disappeared after three years of working with them.

"How are things on your end?" she asked.

"He's fine, but I have a feeling they upgraded security for another reason." Kanan answered, "How long until the distraction?"

The pilot sighed nearing the communication tower. The troopers who looked up barely had a chance to react to their appearance when the nose guns and few TIEs blew up. Hopefully, the thick smoke would buy them some time before the wind blew in. This was the result of the new explosives Sabine found while on a mission to Iego. Apparently, this batch is only manufactured on Mandalore.

"Twenty seconds!" Hera shouted.

The hatch opened to four men aiming their blasters up at them. She almost felt bad for them hearing Zeb and Sabine land on the balcony. They may be soldiers blindly following the Empire but these men were people who believed they were doing the right thing. Even if it was the result of academy brainwashing, the Twi'lek still did not agree with their orders to make life harder for civilians.

Sabine shot two of the troopers before they could pull the trigger. It did not surprise her that they did not use put the training they received to good use. Even as a cadet, she could out shoot the highest-ranking officer and 'properly conduct herself.' The girl pushed away those memories hearing the sound bodies falling to the ground from being electrocuted. She had to admit his bo-rifle was useful in itself.

The Lasat dropped the troopers at his feet before running into the building. What worried him was not the quiet hallway, but the fact that Kanan and Wamp Rat were not carrying their part of the plan. The Imperials were obviously waiting for them seeing the startled guard at the door.

"You would think these bucket heads would put up a better fight," Zeb commented. "Those two should be up here by now if we could take those four out."

"Like I said on the Phantom, they could already know we are after that information." she repeated, "If that is the case, then I am taking over Caden's job!"

The guard at the door lowered his blaster in time to have Zeb's fist jaw meet his chin before he could say anything. The man slowly rubbed his chin sitting up only have the muzzle of a rifle pointed in his face with a snarling Lasat standing over him. What they did not expect was to hear Kanan's muffled voice.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"How should I have known it was you?" the Lasat shot back. "You were wearing a bucket!"

The Jedi lowered his voice standing up as he took off the helmet. He did not which was worse: having Caden ditch his disguise or Zeb mistaking him for a storm trooper. The first time was bad enough. Then, he and Ezra had to act as 'Imperial prisoners' to escape the troopers searching the area for them.

"I would love to continue this argument, but where is Caden?" Sabine asked. "He is supposed to be with you."

"He is in there downloading the intel now," Kanan whispered. "You and Chopper go help him."

Sabine punched in the access code. Thankfully, the holodisk they were loaned had a few pass codes that were created along with the security upgrades. The Mandalorian did not want to admit that Caden was smart enough to slice into more than just the Empire's defenses. If a smuggler is able to do that, they could possibly have some bounty hunting experience.

 _That, or he has great connections._

The young woman expected to see another 'bucket head' hacking into the mainframe. She could not tell if he was insane or reckless enough to reveal his identity to the Empire. Either way, they would ask him later what kind of customers gave up the information they have now.

"Chopper, plug into the mainframe." she ordered, "Search for prisoner logs and transfers."

Caden did not look up from the terminal as Sabine started scanning the closest screen. Between reading prisoner logs and wiping the security cameras video, he welcomed the help. Normally, the dealer would insist on leaving the droid out of this. They had about four minutes left before a unit of storm troopers stepped off that lift.

"Their manual systems may be difficult to figure out, but it is not that complicated."

Sabine wanted to stun him for wiping security footage instead of downloading what they came for. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind glancing down at the small screen in front of her. There were prisoners scheduled to be transferred to number of different locations, including those they were familiar with, for the next two days. There were other systems she would have to ask Kanan or Hera about if research did not give them any answers.

"Really?" she shot back. "Then tell me why you are messing with their security cameras."

The dealer did not know what to tell her. He preferred life in Tatoo System for more than just the business opportunities. Tatooine was the last planet anyone working for the Empire would think to look for people with the kind of bounties he and Ridge had over their heads. Most of the low lives that visited this dust bowl were slavers, smugglers or bounty hunters who would not mess with a small group selling illegal goods. He had no idea why this woman brought to mind someone they once knew, but she just did.

"The Imperials have enough leverage to lock down Anchorhead for a manhunt," Caden explained. "I have sliced into their systems from remote areas before without being tracked by their best hackers. The less proof they have, the more likely we are able to escape."

Sabine could not believe her ears. One minute, this guy was a part-time smuggler who obviously had work ethics; the next, someone who wanted to fight the Empire. A part of her wanted both him and his friend to join the crew if they were that talented. Not only did the rebellion need extra people for gathering intelligence, but it would also keep them one step ahead of the Empire for once.

"Hacking their systems is the last thing on my mind," she commented. "Do you have data tapes?"

Caden handed her a small disc switching over to the prisoner files. He would normally insist on downloading the information himself but they had little time. The sound of blaster fire outside the door told him the unit of storm troopers were eager to put holes through their heads. When the droid unplugged, he knew it was time to go.

"Got it," Sabine said.

They found Kanan and the Lasat returning fire out in the hallway. Two of the troopers were either stunned or dead. The men left standing were determined to live up to their training, but that was debatable seeing cadets had better aim than their superiors.

 _Now is not the time to think about that,_ he thought.

"What took you so long?!" the large alien yelled.

Caden barely dodged the blaster fire joining the gun fight. He forgot what they called him, but it did begin with a 'Z.' Very few Lasat survived the massacre on Lasan. The dealer never thought he would meet one, let alone see one of their warriors up close in combat.

"We downloaded what we came for," he said. "Now if only these robots would use their common sense and run back to the lift."

The Mandalorian fired a few rounds before holstering both blasters. She had no idea how the Imperials found out about the ruse Kanan and Caden used, but it did not matter now. The entire based knew they were being attacked the minute those explosives went off. Their chances of escaping were slim if they radioed for back up while hacking their systems.

"After you wiped their security system," Sabine added. "Whatever you plan on doing, you better do it now!"

"Talking to me or your pack leader?" Caden shot back.

She pointed to Kanan tossing a few smoke bombs five feet in front of their small group. The unit was slowly pushing them back towards the balcony through the thick screen. Hopefully, the Phantom would be waiting to take off once they boarded.

The Jedi ignited his light saber to deflect the blaster fire back at the men. He hoped this mission was worth the risk. If all they did was draw unwanted attention to themselves, it would be one more thing to worry about. Not only would the Empire know they attempted to 'take control' of another tower, but it would also draw attention to the rebellion. Ever since the siege of Lothal, the Imperials' noose has been slowly tightening around their necks.

"Get to the Phantom!" he ordered.

Caden looked over his shoulder in slight shock. The last time he seen Jedi in action ended with the man being captured. It only got worse after the crew had to move on when Fulcrum said there was nothing they could do after three weeks off searching. Ridge never liked to talking about the incident. Apparently, it reminded him of an unrelated episode. The only person who knew what happened was dead.

A hand roughly jerked his right shoulder reaching for his blaster. With the number of men that were pushing them back, it was the only thing he could of think of. The last Jedi they had to leave behind went missing after failing to break him out of an Imperial prison.

"Come on, Wamp Rat!" Zeb snarled.

He could hear Kanan deflect another round of bolts following them out onto the balcony. The Phantom was hovering two feet from the railing. The dealer jumped in after the others boarded just as the hatch closed. A part of him was relieved to see the Jedi joined them in time just as they were taking off.

"How did it go?" Hera asked.

"It took the bucket heads awhile to figure out what was going on," Sabine spoke up. "We would have been out on the balcony earlier, but Caden decided to mess with their security footage."

The Twi'lek kept her eyes on the dry landscape in front of her. She did not know what the dealer did to the tower's security system but it could not be good. For all they knew, he was only cooperating with them to spring a trap for a big pay day. The Empire often hired smugglers and bounty hunters off the streets to capture people they considered fugitives.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zeb commented. "Last time I checked we were looking for information on Ezra."

Kanan could tell whatever Caden wanted to say on the elevator was connected to a past incident. The grief and regret in the man's eyes were not those of someone interested in turning them in for a hand full of credits. He understood the feeling all too well.

"Ridge has history with the Empire," Caden says. "He never talks about it, even with those close to him."

"What kind of history?" Kanan asked.

The dealer took a deep breath staring at the tip of his boot. Recalling the incident that tore apart what was left of their crew still made his stomach feel as if someone was a twisting a hunting knife in his rib cage. It was not supposed to happen that way. They should have known the Empire increased the number of patrols where they landed!

"He was an orphan for a few years before he met his first crew," he began quietly. "I can tell you from personal experience that it can take a toll on a kid's mind having to survive on to your own. One of my crew mates got curious about an abandoned control tower shortly after we first ran into each other a few days before that."

Kanan did not need to look at Hera to know she was thinking the same thing. The old communication tower was the first place they dared to stake out every time a mission brought them to Lothal. Ezra admitted to him that was where he started living two years after his parents were dragged away. He did not know if anyone else knew about his make-shift home, but they figured it out.

"Did he tell you anything else?" he pressed.

"Ridge also had a crush on a girl," he slightly grinned. "He did not realize the girl was an old friend of his wife until she told him."

Sabine thought about Amira watching them shop at Old Jho's. She knew there was something about the little girl that reminded her of a good friend she once knew in the academy. The cadet was a genius by their commanding officers' standards, but she also had medical skills that eventually attracted unwanted attention to herself and her assigned squad. Mandalorians were infamous for their ruthless tactics, not their healing abilities.

"I bet the woman must be worried," Hera said. "How is she handling all this raising Amira?"

Caden's face was an unreadable mask when he looked up at them. Whatever it was, he intended to keep quiet about this woman.

"She works a lot," he said. "Ridge made me promise to support them if anything happened."

"If you can convince her to meet us somewhere, that would be a big help."

The Twi'lek attached to the Ghost before shutting down the engines. There was something they were missing, she could feel it in the pit of her stomach. Kanan's face reflected the shock they all were trying to shift through. When they first set out to locate him, it was to find the boy they were forced to leave behind. Not a grown man with a wife and child.

"Even if his wife does not contact us, I think the Intel we got should give us an idea."

The Jedi slid down the ladder into the common room. He could feel Hera worriedly watching him as he waited for the others to gather around the table. At this point, he did not know what to think anymore. Ezra knew better than to start a relationship with any girl until the age of seventeen. It took him and Zeb combined to give the kid the 'talk' if he had any hope of surviving life on the ship for more than four months.

 _What is he like now?_ he wondered. _How does his 'wife' know Sabine? Or is he talking about someone else?_

Zeb crossed his arms. "Since when did your friend get married?"

Sabine narrowed her eyes at the idea of Ezra being married as she sat in the booth. She liked Ezra, but the thought of being in a relationship with him was the last thing that would happen.

"I was wondering the same thing," she added. "Who is this mystery woman?"

Caden shivered plugging in the data chip thinking of the tactics she would use to get a name. Sitting next to this Mandalorian made him rethink some of his decision in the past, not counting the chances he took years earlier.

"That is not important," he growled. "All any of you need to know is that she was - is - trustworthy."

The young woman stared at him as pulled up the prisoner profiles. She did not know why he was covering the fact he was hiding something painful. Whatever it was, this woman probably dangerous. If she caught the Empire's attention in the past, they would have found out. Setting her helmet on the table, Sabine scanned the list until she stopped on two near the bottom.

"It looks like two prisoners are being transferred off world this evening," Sabine began. "From this list, our best bet is the second fugitive. It says here his home world is Lothal."

Kanan pushed back the thought of Ezra being married so young. For now, they had to come up with a rescue plan. The Imperial transport would probably be escorted off world by TIEs. Ever since his own break out, the Empire has been taking precautions whenever they were transferring 'infamous' prisoners now. That is, if the commanding officer was smart enough to take this precaution.

"Where are they holding him now?" he asked.

A projection of the TIE base they have been harassing for the past week replaced the prisoners' log. The Jedi had no idea what was going. Even if they were holding Ezra prisoner there, how would they know without falling into another trap?

"We already tried looking for him there," Zeb spoke up. "For all we know, they could have shipped him somewhere else by now."

"I would not put it past the Empire to fake records, especially if the person is an Imperial prisoner." Sabine commented, "If he is at that TIE base, then we need to come up with a better plan."

Caden did not know what to say at first. He knew the Empire was capable of covering up the whereabouts of people they 'black listed' over the last few months. The dealer hoped they would not resort to another prison break. Those kinds of missions always carried the risk of capture or, the worst case scenario, finding out a crew mate has 'turned' against you.

"What about their security?" Kanan asked.

"It is too risky," Hera disagreed. "They know what our ship looks like. Even if we were able to get away safely with the prisoner aboard, it would do nothing but attract unwanted attention."

Sabine switched off the hologram. The young woman folded her arms as she watched the others' reactions.

"They will be waiting for us," she agreed. "We did attack that base two times already."

Caden eyed the crew as his instincts started taking over. He knew something was off about this small group. Whatever they did to get on the Imperial 'Most Wanted' list had to be big.

Hera looked to the Lasat. "Zeb?"

The warrior tore his eyes away from Caden. They may not have known each other long, but he was being too quiet. _How can I bring this up to Kanan?_

"About that," he began uneasily. "What if they planted that information as a trap?"

"Then we have to trust this information is their real schedule," the dealer answered. "Whether it is a trap or not will not matter if they transport him to the destroyer above this planet on our watch. Once they find out you are here, I can guarantee you this planet will be under a temporary blockade."

Kanan knew the Lasat could see the change in Caden's behavior as the rest of them. He was surprised Chopper did not shock him the instant he started acting focused. They would find out soon seeing Zeb invaded his personal space.

"Who put you in charge?!" Zeb snarled. "Until a few seconds ago, you were just sitting there!"

"I was listening," Caden growled quietly. "If we have any chance of rescuing Ridge, then now is the time!"

Hera could only watch the Lasat lift the man by the front of his shirt. She knew if no one stopped him from punching their only lead, they would be on their own for a few hours. They all have been on edge since they met this man. Still, it did not mean he could be threat.

"Put him down, Spectre Four."

Caden sat on the edge of the seat glaring up at the alien. There were few times where customers tried to rough them up over a failed deal or job disagreements. The disappointed party would be dragged away after being stunned but there those who pushed their luck.

"Count yourself lucky," the warrior growled.

"I should be saying that to you," Caden said. "We deal with customers like you every day."

"We are not arms dealers!" Zeb shot back. "How do you know our friend, anyway?"

The pilot placed a hand on her hip watching their guest challenge Zeb. There was something about this man that had her questioning whether or not he was just a mechanic with connections to the black market.

"Alright, calm down." she spoke up, "While on the topic of our missing crew mate, we would like a few answers ourselves. Why are you so interested in helping us find him?"

Caden turned stone grey eyes on the Twi'lek. It was clear the Jedi wanted to break his teeth for lashing out this way. At this point, he would do anything to keep his promise to Amira's parents. She needed her father; not a legal guardian that endangered her well-being.

 _How can I explain this to them without being stranded in the middle of nowhere?_ he thought.

"Do you know where they are taking him?" the dealer spat. "Do you know where they are supposed to take him?"

Kanan could feel his stomach tightened into a ball. There was something behind those words that sent chills down his spine. This man was non-Force-Sensitive, so how would he know about that system? How did he learn about what happened there?

"Where are they taking him?" he asked.

Sabine brought up the prisoner's file again. She could not figure out why Caden was upset about failing to keep his friends' promise. As far as anyone could tell, he did not want to become a single parent.

"They are transferring the prisoner to the spice mines of Kessel," she told them. "It also looks like they are expecting someone to break this guy out. The TIEs escorting his transport off world will be a problem if we want to shoot it down."

"Those kriffin' Nerf Herders!" Caden hissed. "The last time I checked they send people like Ridge to that burning rock."

"That won't work either," Hera disagreed. "By the time we ground the ship itself, the Empire would have sent reinforcements."

Kanan felt a small flicker of hope rereading the prisoner profile one more time. The species, birth date and home world information were correct, but there was something about the destination and extra notes. He could only guess the 'burning rock' that Caden referred to was Mustafar. The other thing that kept nagging him was the fact this person was - and still is - on an Imperial fugitive list.

The Jedi closed his eyes with his hand stretched out as he focused on Ezra's signature. There was another black wall blocking their connection. He could still sense the same unstable emotions from before but there was another that seemed to take root overnight. The thought of being ripped away from his crew again had him doubling over as the despair grew stronger. It was a feeling he has been fighting for the last five years, but never before has it gotten this bad.

 _Could these be Ezra's emotions?_ he gasped.

A whip snapped across his back, nearly driving him to the ground. The dirt beneath him suddenly looked more welcome than the arm of the man he was holding to as if it were a life line. That was when it all became too much for his body as another lash ripped his skin apart. He should not be here in this crowded tunnel. The yelling that followed was the worst part. He has travelled the galaxy and been exposed to the foulest language there was, but even this would make Yoda gag!

"Move, Bantha Dung!" the overseer shouted.

Someone grabbed his left arm as darkness started creeping around the edges of his vision. A part of him wondered if he was back on the star destroyer over Mustafar being tortured by the Grand Inquisitor, but that did not feel right. If he were, the floor would be cold steel. However, there was not enough time to think as a small hand started shaking his shoulder. He could not tell when he passed out.

"Kanan, can you hear me?" a female voice called. "Kanan?!"

The Jedi looked up to see the blurry figure of a large alien bending over him and a green skin Twi'lek. He was surprised his raw back was not screaming or no one was rushing him to the med bay to treat his wounds. _Was that a waking nightmare or vision?_

"Is he going to be okay?" the Lasat asked. "This is something only the kid would do."

"Kid?" a man asked.

"I don't know," the woman admitted. "This has never happened before."

Kanan blinked slowly sitting up. He could still feel the whip crack across his back yet that was not enough to convince himself he was still on the ship. Slaves sentenced to live out their days in camps eventually died at some point. Whether it was from being overworked or lack of oxygen, every prisoner died in Imperial hands.

"What happened?" Hera asked. "You gave us all heart attacks."

"I prefer panic attack," Caden corrected.

The Jedi glared at him as Hera helped him to his feet. He did not know what the vision meant for Ezra or the rest of the crew, but something told him this would come true if they did not intercept that transport. The thought of his apprentice, if he could still call Ezra that, being enslaved sickened him.

"I have an idea where they are taking Ezra, but the current location we have may not be the camp." he said, "If we are going to shoot down that transport, tomorrow will be our only chance."

"Slow down," the Twi'lek said. "You nearly hit your head on the edge of the table."

Kanan winced as the invisible whip lashed across his back again. Even if it was a warning from the Force, the Jedi found it difficult to process. There were no words to describe what he seen. It was hard to ignore the others' worried faces regaining his balance, let alone reorder his thoughts. A plan was already forming but there was no way he could think without going back to that vision.

"The information on that data chip is all we need," he said.

"I think you hit the floor too hard," commented Zeb. "How do we even know if that is where they are taking him?"

Caden watched the Jedi slightly roll his shoulder. He knew there was more to this crew than they were willing to admit. It went beyond finding a missing friend to something bigger than one planet's political issues. The dealer could see the same fire that he once had burning in their eyes. Seeing them rally around their friend reminded him of what he lost a few months ago, but that was something he would never have back.

"I just know," Kanan said. "It is hard to explain but I think there is a way to get him back."

"Ezra never bothered to contact us the first year he went missing," Sabine pointed out. "What makes you think he will leave with us after rescuing him?"

The Jedi has been going over that same question the last five years, but he refused to give up on finding him. Some of the people they met the past five years were saying it was best to move on and focus on the present. Many believed he was most likely dead or just decided to walk away from their cause yet he and Hera still scanned the holonet for news on his whereabouts. There were those who believed Ezra turned to the dark side once they found out about his Force Sensitivity. To this very day, he refused to think his apprentice would fall that easily.

"She has a point," Hera quietly admitted. "What do you have in mind if getting close to the transport is out of the question?"

"If we cannot shoot down that transport, then we have get closer to the last place he was seen." Kanan said, "I have a plan, but involves Caden's help."

Caden lifted a brow hoping the risk this 'plan' did not involve being dragging into a prison faculty in hand cuffs. Then again, this group was not being honest with him either. If Ridge were here, they would have been off this burner long before they were drawn into something that went over their heads.

"Last time I checked, I was just a ship guest." he commented, "What can I do to get you close to a TIE base?"

"You have customers who work for you on the inside, right?"

The dealer could tell from the expressions on the rest of crew members faces they were debating on someone throwing off the ship. A part of him was hoping the Twi'lek would not be the person given the honor of dropping a poor soul to their death mid-flight. It was not uncommon for pilots to do that on this planet. However, that only happened over Sarlacc pits, canyon cliffs or in deep space.

 _Thank goodness, we are not in mid-flight._

"You can openly talk around me," Caden told them. "There is no one I have left outside of Amira. My crew broke up a year ago, but it was not on their own will."

"Probably because you let the Empire drag them away," Zeb commented.

The smuggler resisted reaching for the blaster resting on his hip as he braced himself for the warrior's next insult. He barely had the chance to pull the weapon from its holster when the barrel of another pressed against his back. There was no need to look over his shoulder to see who was holding him at gun point; Mandalorians were not known for their mercy.

"Make one move," Sabine quietly growled. "I dare you!"

"Would not think of it," he countered.

"Sabine, put the blaster away."

"We both knew this would happen, Kanan!" she spat. "Why do you think this guy would help us rescue Ezra?"

Caden settled on glaring at the warrior since he was unable to stun the alien for assuming the worst-case scenario. There were people who thought he was kind of person to sink that low, but even black-market dealers had their loyalties. While most of them were formed under the threat of death, he knew better than to get involved with cartels like the Hutts.

"Ridge is the only friend I have left," the smuggler began. "The least I could do for him and his daughter is reunite them."

Hera did not know what it was about this dealer, but he certainly had no intention of harming them yet. The most disturbing thing he has done so far was bring a child to a meeting regarding Ezra's whereabouts when he clearly knew more than he was letting on or, maybe, it was both of those actions. She did not know what to think anymore.

"Sabine..." she trailed off.

The Mandolorian looked up at her before setting her blaster on the table top. If this man did know where they were taking Ezra, he was holding back to either torture or lead them into a trap set up by the Empire. She would not be surprised if they found out Caden barely cared about Ezra or Amira at all.

"Enough mind games," Hera told him. "Do you really think withholding information from us will help get your friend back?"

"I told your co-leader what I was able to," Caden snapped. "If you want to find out more, you will have to talk my partner after rescuing him from Imperial enslavement or, most likely, a fate far worse than death."

Hera could not stand to see the last spark of hope slowly fade from her crew's faces. She did not want to believe they travelled to this planet to learn that Ezra possibly left his own family behind. Even if Amira was his daughter, there was nothing they could do prove it based off a stranger's word. They could not abort the mission if there was still a chance that Ezra could return to them in one piece.

"Kanan?" she asked.

"Tell them what you told me," the Jedi said. "You know as well as I do your 'missing friend' would not want his own daughter to grow up like he did."

Caden was not surprised this Jedi would figure out what he was trying to hide. It was not that hard to figure out taking one look at Amira. She may look like her mother, but the girl also dealt with situations like this so much her father.

 _I suppose that is part of the reason I never left her with Denali._

"Figured it out, have you?" he muttered. "Well, it is about time, Jedi Master."

* * *

As of this update, this story takes place five years after the events on Malachor. The only difference is that Kanan never lost his sight. Also, keep in mind to look for small hints that will come up throughout this story.

What do you think happened to Ezra? Where do you think the Empire has sent him?

\- insert dark trombone theme -


End file.
